Coffee Cakes
by asukasenpai
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia believes that she is one of the most versatile people she knows; whilst she is a top student in a prestigious academy, she can go and get smashed with her friends. Not that it matters, considering she miraculously always stays sober. Living in a busy city with people that mentally challenge her, she meets the spontaneity that is Natsu Dragneel, through odd means.
1. Incipient

I fell flat on my ass.

Honestly, I wanted to stay in that position below my bed; where I could nap in what I somehow thought was a comfortable position. But of course, my phone began to ring. The reminiscent rhythm of a song by the name of 'Snow Fairy' on blast.

 _Fuck, shit. Fucking shit._

What was I doing again?

 _Oh yeah, the essay. Fuck._

I slowly pick up the phone, almost hesitant. I hardly had any energy to even speak to a whole new different human, but I pressed the green receive button anyway. I wondered if it was the right choice considering I felt like I couldn't even form sentences.

 _What day is it again?_

My eyes glance up to my calendar above my pale blue wall. _Oh yeah, Saturday night._

Juvia's voice boomed from the phone. "Lucy Heartfilia!"

"Juvia, I can explai-"

"Get your ass out of bed and get your ass in here right now!"

 _What the fuc-oh yeah, Gray's party. Goddamnit._

I groaned, "I'd rather, you know, not."

Her voice was loud, but I could hear disco music and a guy shouting at another guy. _Wait, I'm pretty sure that's Erza._

I hear Juvia sigh, "Are you seriously still on that essay?"

My eyes darted around the room, looking for evidence of my last known activities before I passed out somehow; my bed was untidied, my laptop was perched near the edge of the bed and a sneaky bag of chips was laying in my bedside table.

"Yes, I was."

"Where's the real Heartfilia? Party Queen? The one who dumped Gray's ass in a water fountain when he posted that god awful photo of you on his Snapchat story?"

My mind flew back to that night. Gray complained the entire way home to his apartment.

"Not right now. Party Queen mode is off." I weakly argued.

"Well, no shit. You know it's not a party without our Heartfilia though, right?" Juvia admitted in defeat, "Gray's drunk, like, four bottles of vodka and no one has told him to shut the fuck up yet."

I chuckled lightly, "Wait, what about Erza?"

Juvia sighed, "Erza's, uh, kinda having a rap battle with Kagura."

"Ya'll need Jesus." I sighed and paused, "Wait, what about you?"

"Hey, I've drunk two bottles now, I'm in no position to tell him to shut up. I think I can to just about everyone else though."

"Who's there?"

"Sting and Rogue's party and ours. The usual, you know."

A geniune laugh escapes from my lips despite my exhaustion. I could hear someone on the karaoke. _Is that Sting? God-awful._

"Sting!" Julia's voice boomed even louder, my ears winched.

"What?" I heard a drunken Sting's voice. I'd say three bottles would do that to him.

"Shut the fuck up! I'm calling Lucy!"

"Fuck up! Can't you see I'm practically the reincarnation of Celine Dion?" Sting argued.

I scoffed, "The boy wishes."

"Honestly, him and Rogue have absolutely lost it tonight. Rogue sang 'Reflection' by Christina, like, two times now. I swear you should've seen it; Erza had to restrain Yukino from smashing him."

"Wasn't she having a rap battle?"

"Yeah, her and Kagura got a headstart and were drunk before they even arrived her-" the sound of what I thought was a plate smashing interrupted Juvia.

"What the fuc-STING!" Juvia's voice was absolutely terror.

"What happened?" I half-yelled to get back her attention.

It didn't work, "I swear to God, if you break one more vase I'm gonna drag Lucy in here to fuckin' smash you!"

I could hear screams, loud noises of terror from what I perceived was a crime of a broken vase and ongoing music.

"GRAY!" Erza's voice suddenly came up, my mind pictured the red-headed girl.

Suddenly, Gray's evidently hangover voice came up, "What the hell is goi-MY VASE."

"Shut up, you dumbasses. Can't you see Levy's asleep?" _Is that Gajeel? Aw, he's so sweet._

"Fuckin' hell, I'll call you back." Juvia finally told me before briefly hanging up.

I let a loose laugh at their current situation out and sighed at my own dreadful situation. I stared pointlessly at my laptop, as if my essay would be finished just by staring at it.

Deciding to ease the spinning in my head, I decided to get up and walk to my apartment kitchen, passing the living room and sighing as I went. The night was rather warm and I usually loved the sound of a busy city at night, but not when my head was going insane, pushing and pulling different sentences to make an entire essay. It was all I could think about the entire week and Juvia had to constantly remind me I had to actually eat my lunch on lunchtime at school.

Koharu City was lively; trains coming and going every day and night and buses, cars and trams all active. Of course, there was parties, soirees and _oh, how I miss my lively days beyond this essay._

I turned the lights on, revealing my slightly bland kitchen and opened the fridge, revealing no amount of good food and my empty heart.

"Maybe, I _should_ go to Gray's place." I whispered to myself. _Would there be anything there other than vodka?_

I shook my head; I know what happens if I show up at a party and I needed my dignity as of now. The dignity to finish this essay. The moment it finishes, I can run to every blast and drink the amount of vodka my heart needed to forget the horrors of such dreadful written pieces. Of course, it'd take a lot to get me drunk, I could drink up to six bottles and still be sober enough to witness everyone sprawled around the apartment absolutely smashed.

Then suddenly, a thought occurred. "I need a Monster."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of the story so far. I understand that everyone seems so out of character; especially Juvia. Or just literally everyone. Hahaha. By the way, if you don't know; Monster is a popular energy drink here in Australia, not sure about the rest of the world.**

 **So, there's been people asking about the actual vodka tolerance. This was a bit of silly thing for me to not mention, but the gang don't drink pure, raw vodka. They drink stuff like Vodka Cruisers (You can search them up. They're really good here in aussie btw.) So basically vodka-based alcohol drinks. That's exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote the story and some people are like; "One bottle can knock you out' and I was like 'goddamnit, i must've gotten experienced drinkers confused af hahah).**

 **Reminder that chapters are updated every weekday!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Incipient; (adj.) Beginning to happen or develop._


	2. Brumous

Taking the most comfortable wool cardigan I owned, I headed out of the apartment; wallet and dignity in hand.

The city seemed a little more toned down than I expected. The streets dimly lighted whilst a fewer amount of cars than I expected passed by. I wondered how I looked like; I barely even glanced at myself in the apartment and I had just woken up from a nap.

 _I look like hell_ , I confirmed to myself. No doubt there would be evident bags under my eyes and my hair, I could tell, was slightly disheveled.

 _I look hungover_ , I also confirmed. _God, my mouth hasn't even touched vodka the whole week for once and I still manage to look like I'm smashed._

A sudden ping came up from my phone and I quickly read the text.

It was from Juvia. _Sorry about hanging up. Gray was absolutely pissed about the goddamn vase. He briefly smashed Sting before randomly passing out. Gajeel got pissed too. I'll fill you in soon. - Juvia_

I laughed and continued my walk to the nearest convenience store; just a stroll near the city park, where I spotted a couple's PDA and a family of three taking an evening stroll and looking terribly uncomfortable. It took a lot in me to restrain a laugh as I watched the scene unfold.

I continued down the streets and finally reached my destination, entering the small store.

After quickly smiling politely at the cashier, I headed to the array of aisles, taking whatever necessities I deemed worthy of my money. A few packs of ramen and a random choice of ice cream later, I hear the sound of footsteps of what I believed to be another customer.

They say a hello to cashier in a cheerful yet evidently tired voice. I proceed to take a second pack of chips before finally deciding to head for my last destination; the energy drinks.

Monster was my esteemed favourite; I tried everything else but kept coming back to Monster. Therefore if I needed to absolutely smash the essay, I needed to have my beloved to support me in my situation.

Strolling to the familiar aisle, I looked down at my choices of necessities; _a pack of ramen will do for a week, oh and the chips can help for tomorrow and also the ice cream for when Juvi-_

I suddenly freeze once I arrived at my destination. And I'm not sure if I was surprised at the guy with pink hair messily pulled in short ponytail and looking straight at me or the fact that he was, from what I could see, taking the last can of Monster.

I struggled to think or form a sentence that told him that I desperately needed that can he was holding in his hand.

 _What the fuck? What do I say? Hello, pink-haired dude, I'm really sorry but if I don't have that can, I'm going to fail at this essay that I have been mourning over for a week and did I mention that my friend had to remind me to actually eat food because I was so focused on it? Like, that's how life-threatening it is. I would be at party right now with my friends, laughing at them getting absolutely smashed as I remain miraculously sober but I'm working on said essay and so really, you should just give me that can of Monster right now and move on with your life._

My thoughts are interrupted by a laugh, one that I couldn't quite describe. It was so genuine; a laugh that just has to escape from your lips even if you're tired, exhausted or mentally challenged. It took me a moment to realise said laugh was from the pink-haired stranger.

I looked up to see his eased expressions with a matching crooked grin plastered on his face.

I wonder what's the cause of his sudden outburst until I realise there's a little bit of breath left on my lips and that my cheeks are puffed slightly and a horrid sense of realisation washes over me like an ocean tide.

"W-Wait," I point my finger steadily at the stranger in half-confusion, "D-Did I just say all of that out loud?"

 _Fucking hell, Lucy. You're such a genius, aren't you?_

The pink-haired stranger takes a moment to breath in as he struggled to remain calm in his outburst.

"Yeah, you did."

I groaned, my hands flying up to cover my face in dismay, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I'm just so tired and exhausted and-"

"-and you need this?" he finished off for me, holding up the can of Monster.

"Y-Yeah, I kinda need that." I breathed out shamelessly.

The stranger laughed lightly, and it takes me a moment to realise whilst he does so that the sound strangely calmed me down.

"Sure, take it." he replied, still smiling.

"I'm so sorry for this." I said whilst taking the cold can.

"Don't worry, I understand your demise. You can smash that essay, I bet."

"Thanks, I seriously will." I replied gratefully.

He smiled and that's when I fully took in his appearance; a rather tall-well taller than me-guy with pink hair and tan skin. He wore black jeans and a V-neck, grey shirt that successfully displayed a slightly muscular build and _wait, is that a tattoo?_

We exchanged smiles before I walked over to the cashier to pay and take my leave first. I glanced back at him briefly before leaving and saw that he was deeply focusing on his choice of ice cream. I stifled a laugh.

I walked back to the sanctuary that was my apartment, wondering about the stranger and his dragon tattoo for the rest of the evening.

* * *

My alarm beeped dreadfully. It's the weekend and I shouldn't have even had an alarm on but if it's a weekend with an essay, there's a terrible need for it.

 _What's the goddamn time?_

My eyes meet my phone's lock screen filled with notifications; five missed calls from Lisanna, two from Levy and a few texts from Juvia, Gray, Lisanna and Levy.

 _Erza and Kagura just absolutely smashed, I think they got through six bottles each and Erza was screaming about the American elections. Gray forgot you weren't even there. Everybody's wants to know where Ms. Heartfilia is. - Juvia_

 _Was with Sis last night. Heard you didn't show at Gray's? Remember your rep! - Lisanna_

 _Wait, where the fuck are you? - Gray_

 _I cannot believe my vase got broken. - Gray_

 _Wait, nvm, you weren't even there. - Gray_

 _Can you smash Sting for me? - Gray_

 _I goddamn passed out after one drink, bless Gajeel's soul. - Levy_

I formed a smile after reading their texts before taking a silent glance around my room and taking a minute to make sense of the universe; something I have to do every day after I wake up. My laptop sat beside me in the bed alongside a bag of chips. A certain can of Monster neatly sits on my bedside table and I recollected memories from the previous night.

 _Of course you had to tell your life story to a complete stranger._

Albeit a very strange one; pink hair, dragon tattoos, crooked grins and calming laughter would've been a recipe for a mess and maybe someone from juvie, but in my bewilderment, said stranger managed to pull such things off well. It almost left a sour taste in my mouth when thinking that I didn't say much to convey that I was more intelligent than just a person absolutely desperate for the last can of Monster in a convenience store.

I sighed and slammed my head back to the pillow, back to my slumber and back to the days when I didn't care so much for an essay.

* * *

I woke up after fifteen minutes to a familiar song.

I picked up my phone and weakly placed it to my ear as I pressed 'receive'.

"Are you going to stay on your ass all day?" A familiar voice piped up and in my sleepy daze, I almost think it's Juvia but I realise it's Lisanna.

"What the hell is with everyone and trying to get me out of bed lately?" I murmured, annoyed. This was not the time for getting up and dealing with life, this was the time for sleeping and not dealing with life.

"Hey, hey. I'm not the one who went berserk for an essay." Lisanna argued and it takes me a moment to realise that she must be outside from the sound of cars.

I groaned, "Get to the point."

"Okay, as your best friend, I'm obliged to get you out of your apartment and actually take a breather. I'm also obliged to burn down that essay of yours but being a great friend, I also want you to actually graduate."

It takes a moment to take in her words and I find myself staring blankly at my blue curtains, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. But you know what that means?"

It'd be stupid to ask, because Lisanna knows how to get what she wants. But I was tired and I couldn't make a single thought that wasn't really dumb. "What?"

"Get up. Like, now."

"Ugh." I groaned and made an effort to shift a little to the left of my bed; only to fall flat from the bed on my ass.

 _Fuck._

* * *

I practically crawled my way out of my apartment and I vividly remembered the many curses I had for Lisanna during my time getting change. So of course, whilst sitting in the half-crowded tram to the city centre, I didn't carry with me the most enthusiastic smile on Earth.

I begrudgingly stepped out of the tram five minutes later, my eyes almost wincing at the amount of other _humans,_ walking about with their far more productive and happier lives. I remained a traitor to the happy society around me; I merely looked the part of a productive human; trench coat, stockings and boots on with my hair messily tied in a bun, but inside; I was not as organised as the trench coat made me out to be.

I began to walk with my hands shoved in my pockets. The weather was getting colder each day, Koharu City was expecting snow. I regretted not taking a scarf with me.

My mind was still focused deeply on the essay; each passing second was spent creating sentences to make the entire written piece. Occasionally, my mind would pass such dull thoughts and would instead focus on my destination; Fairy Tail Cafe.

A peculiar cafe with peculiar workers and owners. It had begun to be popular-almost a staple-in Koharu City. You could even see some people pass by Starbucks in favour of the FT Cafe; much to the shock of Starbucks themselves. I suppose it was the air the cafe gave; livelier, I guess?

But for myself and my friends; the cafe was almost home. It felt weird to acknowledge that. None of us were hired or anything except Lisanna's older sister, Mirajane. But it was Gray who stumbled upon the cafe three years ago-when it was much less popular or known-and decided to make it the traditional friend location. He had actually meant to go to Starbucks but with no real sense of direction, he winded up in the cafe. Starbucks was just a block away, but Gray did not care as long as he got a smoothie. Fast forward three years later and it'd be weird not to have the same group of friends sitting in their usual table near the front windows. Makarov, the owner, once said we were almost the mascot of the place.

Finally walking the last block, I spotted Mirajane outside the cafe. She, in turn, spotted me and waved her arms around almost frantically in delight.

"Lucy!" she exclaimed, "The others are already inside."

I smiled. Mirajane was beautiful, no doubt. She attracted nearly 75% of the costumers in the cafe. Juvia says she'll find the potion Mirajane used to make herself look as flawless as she is each passing year one day. I tell her she's insane but also that if she does manage to find such a thing, she had better share.

"Thanks, Mira."

"I heard you were on edge because of school again."

 _I'm more than just on edge, I've already fallen off the damn cliff._ "Yeah." I weakly reply, suddenly wondering if she knew because Lisanna told her or if the bags under my eyes gave it away too easily. _Probably the latter._

"So, you coming here is obviously my sister's tricks again, I'm guessing?"

"Pretty much, she's mastered it."

Mira laughed and nodded, gesturing for me to get inside the cafe. "I'll be in there quickly; I just need to take care of these tables first."

I nodded and walked inside. The familiar warm air greeted me, alongside the faint music and smell of the coffee and cakes. I had the sudden unhealthy craving for lamingtons.

Whipping my head around, my eyes meet the usual group of idiots seated in the window table; Juvia and Gray were bickering, Gajeel and Levy sat awfully close to each other, Erza, Minerva and Kagura were also fighting over cake; it seemed that Erza was inevitably winning, and Lisanna sat next to Juvia, waving as she saw me.

"Lucy!" she exclaimed. _God, she and Mira really are sisters._

Alongside her greeting, I received various faces of surprise from everyone in the table and of course, Erza decided to stand up and do the job herself;

"God, where the hell have you been?!" she almost yelled, receiving bewildered looks from new customers and stifled laughs from old customers as she did so.

I smiled weakly, strolling to the table. "Hey."

"Wait, where you at my place last night or what?" Gray asked, genuinely confused.

"She wasn't, dumbass." Gajeel said, "Only you were too smashed to even tell."

"Well no shit, I hardly even know what the fuck happened."

Juvia sighed as Erza laughed as if she was drunk. _Well, figures since Erza hardly stays sober._

"You basically got smashed during Erza and Kagura's fucking rap battle, passed out on the couch. You woke up and smashed the hell out of Sting when he broke your goddamn vase." Juvia explained, "And also you randomly sang Mariah Carey some time late in the night and I had to knock you out for you to shut up."

Gray's eyes widened, "Wait, is that why I felt like I had more than a hangover this morning?"

"Pretty much." Juvia replied.

Gajeel laughed, "To think I missed out on you singing Mariah Carey, Ice Princess."

"No way, Juvia smashing Gray would've been the event to see." Kagura piped up, grinning.

"Shut the fuck up, Gajeel." Gray retorted then paused to look at Juvia beside him, "Wait, did you seriously knock me out?"

"Yeah, with your frying pan." Juvia deadpanned, earning a laugh from me. _I thought she said she had no right to tell him to shut up._

I sat next to Lisanna. "How was the party last night? Apart from Gray's dumbassery?"

Gray frowned whilst everyone else laughed. "Pretty much the same except Sting and Rogue got even more smashed than usual." Erza replied.

"God, you have no right to say that." Juvia argued, "You and Kagura were drunk before you guys even got to the goddamn party."

Erza laughed, "Hell yeah. I'm not gonna let Gray goddamn beat me to it."

I placed my attention to a certain black-haired girl next to Erza, "Did you show at the party, Minerva?

Minerva smiled, "No, I got absolutely smashed last weekend with Erza and Kagura. Needed a rest this weekend."

"I still wished you did," Juvia sighed, "You do miracles for shutting up Gray."

This earned laughs all around the table, obviously everyone was recollecting memories of a certain weekend wherein Minerva absolutely scared the shit out of Gray when she told him to shut up in the most terrifying tone. Of course, I wouldn't say for the best reasons; she had actually been smashed and was just angry that Gray had kept hogging the karaoke when she had been meaning to sing Whitney Houston the whole night.

Gray's face scrunched in annoyance, "You all say this crap against me like you all stay sober whilst I'm smashed."

"They're way more sober than you, at least." I stated, grinning.

"Just because you're always somehow sober does not give you permission to tell me that, Heartfilia!" Gray exclaimed, pointing a finger accusingly at me.

Juvia sighed, "Where's Sting, Rogue and co. anyway?"

"Yukino's texted me saying she was on her way with the boys. The rest are apparently at home, still trying to get pass their hangovers." Minerva informed.

"Wait, so Sting and Rogue aren't hungover?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm pretty sure both passed out when Gray knocked out Sting, so they would've have more time to heal their young minds."

"What's the agenda next weekend though?" I asked around the table.

"Kagura?" Erza faced the girl in question, as if asking for an approval.

Kagura nodded, earning an ecstatic smile from Erza.

"Well then, bastards." Erza began happily, "Kagura and I's place are free to go."

Gray shrugged, "Anywhere else but my place is good for me; I seriously don't want any more fucking vases broken."

"You gonna show at ours then, Lucy?" Kagura asked. I hesitated on my answer. I had hardly knew if I had the right amount of energy to suddenly show up to a blast.

"Maybe, I'll have to see." I replied weakly.

Erza poked on Minerva's arm, "Oi, you better show. You know Kagura and I would never get as smashed as we usually do if you aren't around."

Minerva laughed whilst Gajeel and Gray bickered over food, "Yeah, I will."

Gajeel finally caught on to the conversation and grinned, wrapping an arm around Levy. "Shortie and I will have to show too, I guess. You bastards better shut the fuck up if she sleeps though."

I laughed, "I remember the days when you would get absolutely smashed on weekends so badly, Gajeel. Has Levy made you soft now?"

Levy blushed, "I have. He reads books now."

It was Gray's turn to laugh, "Good to hear your brain is finally functioning, metalhead."

"Shut your face, Ice Princess."

Gray's attention suddenly jumped off Gajeel and to the rest of the table, "That reminds me; my friend is moving here. I think he's actually in the city right now."

"Who's this?" Juvia asked.

"A friend from middle school. We were really close, then that fuckin' bastard went and left me to go to God-knows-where."

"You didn't even know where he went?" I laughed, "Even though he was your close friend?""

Gray sighed, "I don't know, the guy is the adventurous type. Too energetic, he can't stay in one spot for too long unless someone really convinces him otherwise. Damn bastard has pretty much been everywhere, now that I think about it."

"Sounds movie-like." Levy murmured.

"Is he transferring in Magnolia?" Lisanna asked.

Gray ran his fingers through his hair, visibly contemplating, "Maybe, I think. I don't know."

"Magnolia is the biggest school here in Koharu. And it's pretty prestigious too." Erza murmured.

"Do you think he'd get in?" Kagura asked.

"I don't know," Gray replied, "The bastard is dumb, but is actually pretty smart when times call for it."

"He really does sound movie-like." Erza agreed.

In the midst of the conversation about Gray's mysterious childhood friend, a loud presence entered FT Cafe.

"God, what the hell happened last night?" Sting's voice almost boomed throughout the entire cafe, again earning looks from a few customers.

Rogue and Yukino followed him, too tired to be embarrassed by the unwanted attention their friend had successfully created.

"I think Gray got angry at you at some point." Rogue murmured.

"Sting.." Yukino began as her hands massaged her temples, "Will you shut up for five minutes? I swear to God if you say one more thing I'm going to throw you out to the trams."

I laughed loudly. Yukino was the most sweetest girl on Earth; but only if she was sober. Otherwise, her inner Erza would emerge, scaring the hell out of everyone.

Rogue stared at the girl beside him in fear, whilst Sting proceeded to order an abnormal amount of cakes, as if they could somehow make him sober.

Yukino and Rogue faced the table whilst Gajeel and Gray laughed heartily at Yukino's previous speech to Sting.

"You're getting better everyday, Missy." Gajeel complimented Yukino.

"Thanks Gajeel." Yukino said weakly, "Hey guys."

"Hey!" I replied, "Heard you were pretty smashed last night, Yuki."

"I don't even know," she admitted, "I briefly remember getting mad at Sting though."

"You're always somehow mad at Sting when you're smashed." I laugh lightly.

She whipped her head around to glance at her loud, blonde friend. "Not true," she protested, "I'm mad at him right now and I'm..fairly sober."

"Right, _fairly sober._ " I repeated.

"Well, c'mon you two." Juvia gestured to Yukino and Rogue, "Sit down."

Yukino sat next to Minerva, whilst Rogue sat next to me.

"Hey," Rogue greeted me weakly.

"God, Rogue." I chuckled, "What happened to you?"

The younger man scratched the back of his head slowly, "Like everyone else, I don't even know. I just know that Sting managed to convince me to get drunk last night."

"Sting manages to convince everyone to get drunk." Juvia sighed.

"Is that even a good thing or a bad thing?" Kagura asked.

"He's sorta like Lucy." Juvia commented, "Like, you think it's a fun time drinking when you're watching her because you think you're gonna remain sober like her. But really no one can remain as sober as Lucy."

"I don't even understand," Gray sighed, "I think you got through seven bottles once and all you did was fall asleep."

I laughed. _I'm not sure if I want to tell him that I did more than just fall asleep; I actually got out of his apartment, got in a cab and slept at home, all in tact._

"So, Gray," Levy began, "Back to your mysterious friend?"

"Oh yeah," Gray continued, "So basically he's been meani-"

"What's this about?" the blonde man interrupted. Sting was stuffing his face with a strawberry lamington, I eyed him with envy.

"Gray's old middle school friend," Juvia explained quickly, "He's apparently moving here."

"Now, back to what I was saying," Gray continued as Sting proceeded to sit next to Yukino, "The bastard had been meaning to visit me for a while now. He's only got around to actually doing it, he's just been distracted."

"Lady issues?" Gajeel wondered out loud.

"Nah, everywhere he went, he just kept finding new places to go to. I've finally gotten through his thick skull though."

"And now he's fully moving to Koharu." Erza confirmed, "But wait, permanently?"

Gray took a few seconds to answer, "I don't know. I guess if Koharu really convinces him to stay a while."

"I'd say this place has got the best booze." Gajeel suggested.

"Vodka and parties." Sting added, "Koharu's got those covered."

"And karaokes." Rogue murmured.

"You guys are making Koharu seem like such a crap place." Kagura laughed.

"None of us can say much considering we're all in post-hangover modes." Juvia sighed.

"Except me." I piped up.

"And me." Minerva added.

"Wait, you never told us what the guy was like." Juvia said directly to Gray.

"I didn't? Didn't I already say he's the adventurous type?"

Yukino weakly suggested, "Anything else other than that?"

"Well," Gray began, "He's likely to get into a fight with Gajeel."

Gajeel laughed and said, "Sure, I'll take that guy on."

"And I'd say he'd take a while to get smashed."

"Oh, yes, finally onto interesting details, how much can he handle?" Juvia questioned excitedly, earning laughs from around the table. _Nothing less from a bartender._

"I'd say he might even be able to take on Lucy." Gray informed. This earned a massive amount of feedback ranging from "I'm liking this guy already" to "Watch out, Lucy."

I laughed, "I should not be underestimated vodka-wise, Gray."

"I know, I know." Gray waved both hands in the air in defence.

"So, that's it?" Lisanna asked.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, he has.." Gray faded out his words and much to everyone surprise, he began to laugh.

"What?" Juvia asked.

"Spill it out, Ice Princess." Gajeel warned.

"Nothing." Gray managed between laughs, "You know what? I'll let you guys be the real judge of him."

"How?" Kagura asked.

"I'll convince him to apply in Magnolia tonight."

This earned excited expressions from everyone. "Seriously?" Juvia nearly exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't doubt his abilities when applying to Magnolia in the first place. And I'm pretty sure he was already planning on it anyway."

"This is getting good." I said, "Do you think we'll like him?"

Gray grinned, "I think we will. Don't say anything if you do meet him, but I did sorta miss that bastard."

"Awh, that's cute of you, Gray." Erza beamed teasingly.

"Shut up."

"You never told us his name." Juvia suddenly said.

"No!" Gray exclaimed, "If I tell you all his name, I know you bastards are gonna stalk him on Instagram or something tonight."

"True." Yukino agreed.

"And besides," Gray continued, "I want to keep him a surprise."

My mind raced through many thoughts as everyone else continued in idle chatter; _the essay would be due in a week's time and I'm just lucky enough to get that can of Monster to help me-_

My own words interrupted my thoughts, "I forgot to tell you guys; last night I ranted to this complete stranger."

By now, I had the attention of everyone around the table. "What?" Lisanna asked.

I thought for a second about my answer, "Well, I went off at this guy who was about to get the last can of Monster in my convenience store."

This earned another set of laughs from everyone, much to my surprise.

"God, Lucy." Juvia wiped a tiny tear off her eye, "And what'd you say to him?"

"I don't know, I remember telling them to move on with their life though." I replied, and suddenly regretted the words. _You actually said that. To a complete stranger too!_

"I would pay to see the look on the poor guy's face." Erza chuckled.

"It was honestly horrifying," I continued, "I thought I was just ranting in my head until he started laughing at me."

"And he gave you the can?" Sting asked whilst both grinning and continuing to shove cakes in his mouth, earning envying looks from Erza.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I just scared the shit out of him. I feel so bad." I murmured.

"What was he like? Maybe some of us know him." Levy asked.

My mind went blank before suddenly remembering the various eccentric features of the stranger; pink hair and dragon tattoos were bold choices in life.

"Oh, he had p-"

I was suddenly interrupted by my phone's ringtone; the familiar song blasting from my trench coat pocket. I excused myself and walked to a few empty tables nearby, leaving Erza to take the opportunity to bicker over Sting's cakes.

Pressing the 'receive', I sighed, "You call at the most unexpected times"

The familiar voice laughed, "How are you holding the fort there in Koharu?"

"Hardly. Everyone's pretty much smashed every weekend."

"Tell those kids they should only take as much vodka as their hearts can carry."

"Too late for that now. We're actually just catching up right now. I missed out on yesterday's blast at Gray's."

"How is he by the way?"

"Nothing's really changed; still strips whenever he has the chance to when he's smashed, still invites people to his place way too often and still has something broken in his apartment every weekend."

The voice sighed but managed to pull a laugh afterwards, "Juvia is holding him down these days, right?"

"I don't know," I admitted, "She is a bartender, so I don't see how she can stop him from the vodka. And you can't say anything regarding alcohol considering, well, yourself."

"Hey, I'm trying to tone down every once in a while."

"Say that to me when you actually mean it."

The voice laughed once again, "You've really gotten around to fully understanding me, Lucy."

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed, but couldn't help grinning, "And what about you and the rest?"

"Still a mess, but we'll be arriving back soon, I promise."

"It's been a while, huh? Have you gotten yourself a boyfriend again?"

"That's rare, coming from you, Ms. No-Boyfriend." the voice chuckled as I blushed. _It's been a year and she's still teasing me about it. Jeez._

"Answer the question." I argued firmly, but I knew I had already felt the need to laugh.

"Well," the voice began, "I've already told you; having _him_ as a father doesn't make things easy for me."

I laughed, "Good luck. So when are you guys' eventually getting your asses back in Koharu?"

"Soon enough, we're only a few locations to go," the voice sighed then suddenly became evidently sentimental, "Sorry, hold down the fort in Koharu for me, okay? I can't believe it's been a year. We all miss you guys."

"Don't worry about it; we're basically the same here. We miss you guys too. Only a few more months, right?"

"Yeah, kick any asses of new kids in Magnolia for me."

I chuckled lightly, "That reminds me; Gray was talking earlier about a old friend of his moving here. I think you out of all people might know him; with you knowing Gray since forever and all."

"Oh? What do you know?"

"Gray's trying to make him a surprise, but we've heard he's adventurous and been everywhere apparently. Dumb but smart?"

A pause, "That sounds a lot like Na-"

" _Get your ass back here!"_ another voice from the other side of the phone interrupted.

"Fuck, I have to go."

" _Hurry the hell u-"_ And the line went dead.

 _What the hell was that about?_ I shrugged, opting to find out the time.

 _12:45am_

Walking back to the table, I sighed.

"Who was it?" Juvia asked.

"Them." I replied, "Anyway, I have to go. There's an essay at home waiting for me."

"Take a break, Lucy." Gray said, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

"You're way too hard on yourself about this." Kagura added.

"Thanks, guys. But I really do have to go anyway; I need to do a bit of groceries. And cook myself some dinner."

"So come over to my place!" Juvia suggested, "You haven't been over for a week and I have a ton of food just sitting in the oven right now."

"I know, but best friend or not, you're a bartender." I argued.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It basically means whenever I go over to your place, I somehow managed to get vodka in my mouth. The last thing I need is to get smashed."

"Pfft, you're just gonna stay sober anyway." Juvia murmured but finally looked at me firmly, "You seriously gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

I waved goodbye to everyone before shoving my hands in my trench coat pockets and wondering the whole way home how many places Gray's mystery middle school friend had travelled.

* * *

The phone rang in the nearly empty apartment.

"Hey, it's Gray."

"You fuckin' bastard, you left me to fend off for myself in the city today. So much for tourist guide."

"You're not even a tourist; you're moving here, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I've found a place."

"Really? Where?"

"Uhm, I guess near the City's North Wing? It's near some huge park."

"North Wing, huh? That's where a friend of mine lives. Well, never mind, I called to ask if you've applied anywhere yet."

"..Not yet. Why does it suddenly matter?"

"For various reasons. Do you think you can apply to Magnolia Academy?"

"Oh! I've heard about that one. It's the one you're going to, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess so. Do you think I can?"

"I think so."

"Well then, I guess I'll apply tonight."

"What've you done so far?"

"Just finished unpacking. That academy of yours doesn't have any goddamn uniforms, right?"

"Nah."

"Great, then I guess I'll be seeing your sorry ass tomorrow."

"You haven't change at all, Natsu."

* * *

 **And here's chapter two! I understand the irony of consistency; last chapter was just a little over 1,000 words and this one is around 5,000. But I really do like writing the story so far; so don't worry about the likes of future chapters; because they're very likely to keep coming.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Brumous; (adj.) Foggy and wintry._


	3. Luminescence

The alarm went off wildly.

 _Fuck you, alarm. Fuck you, morning. Fuck you-oh new texts._

I groaned as I opened the texts, yet again scanning the room around me; my laptop was once again beside me, an empty cup evidently once filled with ice cream sat neatly next to a certain empty can of Monster. Talk about an exciting lifestyle.

 _Get your ass out of bed. - Lisanna_

 _Do you have a spare english textbook lying around? I fucking lost mine and I need one immediately. Help me or I will force Juvia to drown you in her goddamn vodka. - Gray_

My head spun. The last few activities I could recollect was myself passing out after finishing a painful paragraph, whining about having to brush my teeth, dropping my toothbrush in the sink, cursing about said accident and finally slamming my body against the bed in pure exhaustion.

I stared at my phone. _7:50am. Juvia should be ready to ring right abou-_

A certain ringtone came up and my ears are filled with the chorus of 'Snow Fairy'.

I pressed 'recieve' and slowly pushed my beige blankets off me, "Are you drunk?"

"No." Juvia's voice was clear, unlike my own weak, probably groggy voice. _She's probably already near the train station._

"Great. Because I am." I said whilst using one hand to put on a pair of black skinny jeans.

"Let me guess? Drunk in essay thoughts?"

I briskly opened my wardrobe, hastily darting my eyes around in search of a good top.

"Precisely. I don't understand, Juvia. It's like nothing makes sense anymore. After every sentence I make, it's like, like.."

"..like you just want to drink vodka?"

"Precisely."

* * *

I had done it again; I had not missed the train but I had the absolute _pleasure_ of tripping on the concrete as I ran through the streets, accidentally cursing in front of more than enough people and whilst on what seemed like a marathon, my hair tie that once secured my ponytail slipped off; leaving my hair an absolute mess.

 _I swear, I'm going to drink as much vodka as I can handle to forget this, all of this._

I had somehow managed to enter the train to the Koharu City South Wing; where Magnolia Academy resided.

Magnolia Academy; a prestigious high school filled with elite students from all around the world. I had entered it through sheer work; those in the academic platform have to score pretty high in order to maintain their ranks and of course, their being in the school.

Whilst we were a tight bunch, built solely through our mutual love of alcohol, FT Cafe and laughing at Gray's constant house misfortunes, we were also serious individuals when times called for it. Erza dominated maths, Juvia and Levy in science, Gajeel was a genius regarding mechanical engineering and so on and so forth. As expected, the Academy barely had any 'normal' subjects, considering NASA had once apparently contacted the school, for whatever reasons NASA had to randomly contact a high school.

I had on my scarf and boots, the air really was becoming colder each day and whilst for whatever reasons he had, Gray apparently loved the cold, I despised the extra time it took to wear winter gear.

The sudden ringtone blasted from my trench coat pocket, earning a few curious glances from a small number of people on the train.

I sighed, holding the phone to my ear. "Hey."

"Did you actually catch the train or is your ass still in bed?"

"You'd be happy to know that I'm on the train, Lisanna."

"Do you have a spare english textbook? Please tell me you do, Gray's been calling literally everyone absolutely desperate and he's called me three times. Juvia's already said she's going to murder him first thing at school."

I laughed, "What?"

"Apparently he woke her up by calling her nearly six times this morning."

"Well, at least he'd be grateful to know that I did bring along an extra textbook."

A pause and a sigh, "Oh, thank God."

"By the way, thanks for that.."

Lisanna's words fade away from my attention as I spot-from the slightest corner of my eye-a familiar, distinctive dragon tattoo. I swiftly whipped my head around, almost clenching the seat; only to frown in disappointment.

 _No one. Was I just imagining him?_

"..Lucy? Lucy!"

My attention finally whipped back to Lisanna on the phone, "Oh, yeah. Wait, what did you say?"

Lisanna sighed, "I asked if you've finished the essay."

I'm suddenly pulled away from the trance of the tattoo by the mere mention of the essay. "Unfortunately not. I honestly wish I didn't care so much."

"Same."

I stared at the view outside the window; the train was near its destination. The brick walls of Magnolia Academy was already visible; peeking from a mere, few trees and bushes.

"I'm just about to get off."

"Okay, I'll see you in school. Bye!" And she hung up.

I eventually wonder what my days were even like before the essay as I walked out of the train, hands shoved in trench coat pockets and my dignity slowly crawling out of my soul.

* * *

I met Lisanna and Juvia near the front doors to the crowded hallway. Such hallways were a dangerous area in any time of the day. So seeing Erza absolutely pissed and screaming at a couple of students wasn't exactly surprising; considering I had passed said students and greeted the red-haired girl with a good morning as she continued to torment them. In any other case, anybody else would've tried their best to restrain her, but attending Magnolia Academy meant living with ultra powerful beasts, and I've seen the horrors and with nearly five years experience-something I was strangely proud of-I knew how to deal with beasts.

"Good morning." I greeted Juvia and Lisanna, who were both chatting.

"Hey, did you manage sleep last night?" Lisanna asked.

"No." I plainly answered.

Juvia opened her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a certain black-haired figure running frantically in our direction.

Gray, half-naked, with gray jeans on and a bag, screams incoherently and for a brief moment, I wondered why I was not surprised.

"LUCY! LUCY!" he screamed. I sighed. _I don't know if I should be happy about the fact that even this event right now seems like the most normal thing ever._

In his desperation, Gray somehow manages to trip over, get back up hastily, continue running, all whilst constantly making me ask myself why I attended the academy in the first place. He eventually passed the front school gates and sprinted over to us.

He slammed his hands to his knees dramatically, bending over and exhaling in his exhaustion. "Tell me-tell me that you have a spare english textbook with you."

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I shoved my hands in my bag, dramatically pulling out a familiar 'Literacy Level 11' textbook for what seemed like the whole world and Gray's soul to see.

Gray sighed heavily in relief, "Thank God, you have no idea. I fuckin' lost it this morning and-"

"And called me seven times at six." Juvia interrupted.

Gray tried to continue, "And also-"

"And also called me three times at seven." Lisanna added, crossing her arms.

Gajeel and Levy suddenly walked up to the group.

"Oh, and don't forgot you called Levy and I more than enough times and even threatened to show at our apartment just to search for one." Gajeel added, annoyance seething from his voice, yet he grinned alongside Levy.

Erza and Kagura piped up from behind Juvia, "And you also actually did show up to Kagura and I's apartment nearly naked in a panic, searching for the textbook before I kicked you out."

Minerva appeared and also added, "And I woke up to a million texts from everyone telling me to tell you to shut the hell up."

I sighed and looked at a distressed Gray. "Oh, and Gray?"

"What?"

"You don't have a shirt on."

A pause.

"FUCK."

* * *

Gajeel and Gray bickered through the hallway whilst Juvia and Lisanna somehow created a conversation revolving around new vodka coming out in stores. This all occurred whilst Minerva and Kagura had to restrain Erza from eating cake in the morning; an unhealthy habit of hers.

"Where's Yukino and co.?" Lisanna asked.

Minerva paused from trying to take a strawberry cheesecake from Erza, "She called saying they missed their train because when they arrived, they found out Sting forgot his wallet and he managed to drag them back to his apartment to get it."

"How is she?" Lisanna asked Minerva.

"She was swearing and screaming at Sting and probably scaring Rogue throughout the entire call."

Juvia sighed, "When are they arriving?"

"Well, considering they're in the West Wing and taking the second train, they should be here in about thirty-five minutes." Kagura informed.

"Sometimes I think Sting is just intentionally messing around with those two." Gray blurted out.

"You have absolutely no right to say that considering what you've done this morning." Juvia retorted.

"It's not my fucking fault you people always have to show up at my house and I just randomly lose things pretty much every damn day." Gray argued, waving his hands up in the air.

"Dumbass, you're always the one inviting us." Gajeel scoffed.

"Oh," Gray's argument instantly weakened, "Right."

I sighed before facing Gray, "By the way, Gray-"

"Are you gonna tell me I've forgotten something stupid? Because right now, I'm…fairly sure that my body is actually clothed and I know I have everything I need." He gestured proudly at the gym shirt he had wore; lent to him out of pity by Lisanna, who, in turn, lectured him about actually bringing clothes every once in a while. It was unbelievably tight on him and he looked ridiculous, but it was better than having no shirt at all.

"No, I was going to ask about that middle school friend of yours and whether or not you convinced him to apply."

"Oh yeah! I have. I think he's going to be introduced to the class today."

"Exciting." Juvia said, "I'm so pumped to see how much vodka he can hold."

"You're excited to see how much vodka _anyone_ can hold, woman." Gajeel argued.

Juvia frowned, "I didn't become a bartender for nothing."

I whipped my head around to glance at the blue-haired girl, "I thought you said you became a bartender so that no one could really say anything bad if you were smashed the whole week."

She thought about it for a few seconds, "Well, yeah, there's that. But it's also fun just watching people get smashed. And you can't say anything about that, considering you do it in every blast."

I chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose."

"See, Gray?" Juvia began as Gray turned to face her, "Middle school childhood friend or not, no one can go up against Heartfilia vodka-wise."

"We'll see about that." Gray challenged.

I grinned, "Didn't I tell you a thing or two about not underestimating me, Fullbuster?"

"Yeah, well, fuck underestimation." Gray said, "Wanna make bets, bastards?"

Gajeel's eyes lit up as the words escaped Gray's mouth, "I'm up for it."

Gray frowned, "What got you so fuckin' excited?"

"Just the fact that I've won every bet you've made in the last two or three years."

Juvia interrupted their banter as she grinned at Gray, "If it's a bet, I'm up for it as well. Lord knows how much fuckin' money I've gotten from you just from bets."

"Same thing here!' Erza exclaimed as she raised a plate with a strawberry cheesecake as Kagura and Minerva continued to scold her.

"You guys go ahead," I said, "I need to get smashed before I do bets."

Gray grinned as he faced the rest, "Well then, I say that if we end up liking this guy and invite him over to a blast—which is highly likely already—he would be able to conquer Queen Heartfilia's throne."

This earned attention from everyone.

"Gray, Lucy's been sober through seven bottles before." Erza reminded him.

"And has successfully gotten out of everyone's apartment and get a ride back home every time." Lisanna added.

"Well, the guy can take a competition when he needs to." Gray argued. "So whose side are you bastards getting at?"

Gajeel was first, "Heartfilia."

"Lucy, of course." Lisanna agreed.

Kagura and Erza grinned as Erza said, "Kagura and I will take the safe side; Lucy."

"Lucy has always been the best at it." Levy added, "So put me on her tab."

Minerva piped up, "Lucy. And I'm guessing Yukino and co. would take her side too."

"And everyone already knows what side I'm taking so go ahead." Juvia said, her lips curving into a smile.

I laughed, "Thanks guys. It really means a lot, knowing that you all have faith in my abilities."

Gray sighed, "It's me against everyone else, I guess. More money for me, suckers."

Juvia smirked, "You're saying that way too early."

"Usual twenty bucks wager, everyone?" Gajeel asked, to which everyone agreed and nodded.

I sighed, "Either Gray or everyone else is gonna be broke at the end of all of this, but I guess I am looking forward to Gray crying"

This earned a multitude of laughs. "You've got a lot of fuckin' faith in this drinking ability of yours, Heartfilia." Gray smirked.

"Of course," I agreed.

I continued, grinning, "This bet is under wraps. I couldn't care less about who this mystery childhood friend of yours is, but they better be prepared to get their ass kicked the hell out of them."

* * *

The classroom was loud. It's nothing unexpected; after all, Class 5B contained Gajeel, Gray, Lisanna, Levy, Juvia and I, which meant we scaled from either a good reputation for all our respective talents, or a bad reputation from our usual loud banter. In comparison, Class 5A had all Kagura, Minerva and Erza, who all had terrifying reputations on their own, and Class 6B had Yukino and company. Overall, Magnolia Academy was not an entirely peaceful elite school, really rather the opposite.

I sat loosely on my desk; the cold weather became ineffective against the classroom heater.

"Yo, Lucy!" Gray called out, he was two tables away.

Pulled out of my daze, I glanced at him, annoyed. "What? Can't you see I'm reminiscing about life and daydreaming?"

"Well, pass reminiscing about existential crap, what do you think you're gonna do about my friend?"

I blinked, "I don't know. I guess I'll just try my best to not get you instantly rich from this bet."

"How?"

"I guess if I do end up starting to feel a lil' smash, I'll just knock the guy out somehow."

Gajeel whistled low, "Harsh, woman."

I grinned at the long-haired guy seated behind me, "Well, you don't want Gray to win, don't ya?"

"No, I'm saying that if you knock him out, please do send me some footage. Will be worth my entertainment, I'm betting."

"Enough about betting, I'm scared we're all going to get broke any one of these days." Lisanna muttered from where she was seated; right next to Gajeel.

"Fuck that, Gray is already broke." Juvia yawned beside me.

"True." Gray confirmed.

I sighed and yawned, myself. My hands were still shoved in my pockets; fingertips clenching on the fabric.

Class 5B's infamous teacher decided to show up; Ms. Vermillion. Her stature was still so small, as if she were a child but she had long, golden, wavy locks that everyone admired. Even the guys. Her lips were always curved in a smile and she seemed far too cheerful to be a teacher. Juvia once admitted she felt that Ms. Vermillion was an early morning slam dunk of sunshine and goodness, I laughed and filed her vision in a certain mind cabinet in my head called 'Juvia's thoughts that seem like they'd somehow become a New York Times bestselling novel'.

"Morning class." she greeted, and everyone replied their respective 'good morning' back.

 _Here it comes._ Ms. Vermillion smiled sweetly, heavenly and godlike, as per usual. I glanced at Gray who covered his eyes. His thoughts were perfectly clear; _she is a smiling god built on pure innocence and rainbow cupcakes and we just got smashed through a fuckton of vodka yesterday._

"So," Female God began, "I would like to introduce a new student."

This earned intense excitement throughout the classroom, of course, with the exception of those who already attained prior knowledge. The room began to be devoured in whispers, whilst I loosely leaned against my chair, hands shoved in pockets and suddenly wanting to eat curry for some unknown reason. _What the hell is wrong with me? Curry isn't even ideal for breakfast. Did I even eat breakfast this morning? I can't believe I've forgotten whether or not I ate breakfast. Maybe I should just run to the Himalayas—wait, what? Oh God, I don't even know._

Juvia faced me, "Lucy, are you okay?"

I glanced at her, "I'm just running to the Himalay—God, I did it again."

"What?"

"I don't know. I shouldn't have skipped breakfast this morning. Or did I actually eat breakfast? Wait, what did I eat?"—I paused, suddenly giving up on my own breakfast rant—"I don't know, I don't know."

"Wait, what?" Juvia asked, confused.

"I told you, I just don't know. I think I wanted curry, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why do you want curry?"

"That's the point; I don't know. It's not even ideal for breakfast."

I placed my attention on Ms. Vermillion, leaving Juvia terribly confused and most likely hungry. _I'm such a terrible friend._

"So," Female God continued, "Please welcome warmly Natsu Dragneel."

More excitement, even some from my own friends surrounding me. I remained as confused and hungry as ever, leaving no sense of anticipation for myself regarding the so-called mystery middle school childhood friend. I buried my face in my pastel scarf, my fingertips still clenching the fabric inside my trench coat pockets like they were the last thing on Earth I could hold and my mind was somehow focused on anything other than the student about to walk into the classroom.

 _Curry, essay, food, karaoke. Curry, essay, food, karaoke. Himalayas, breakfast, train, morning. And vodka. Yes, vodka. Vodka, vodka, vodka, vodka, vodka, vodka, vod-_

Then suddenly—in a split second—my eyes met a certain figure and my mind froze as well as my source of understanding of the universe.

* * *

 **That's the end of that! Just a reminder that Coffee Cakes is updated every day except for the weekend here in Australia; at that time I have to figure out where the story is up to, what's happening and of course, writing up more chapters. And also because I'm thinking of starting another story focusing on Erza for some reason. Either that or just simple oneshots.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 _Luminescence; (noun) t_ _he emission of light by a substance that has not been heated, as in fluorescence and phosphorescence._


	4. Apricity

Y'know when in those movies, there's sometimes—usually often—that one slow-mo scene? The one where they might highlight a dramatic scene at war, or when the villain shows up looking amazing or that one tragic final attack against the antagonist—usually some kind of theatrical knife stab? Or even when the music stops and all you can hear are heartbeats—cleverly created by sound effect makers or whatever the hell they are? This scene of my life was like that, because all my thoughts halted as my mind began to be drowned in nothing but dragon tattoos.

Maybe it was suppose to be a knight in a shining armour moment, because of the slow-mo effect. Or maybe it was suppose to be something even better; like the princess and the dragon moment; where the prince tries to 'save' the princess but the princess tells him to fuck off because _yo, bro, this dragon dude has been protecting me my whole life and you think just cause you're mildly hot means you can just take me away from my life protecter?_

I'll never know because all of it came flashing back to reality, and Natsu Dragneel; alleged can of Monster saviour, owner of dragon tattoos, crooked grins, calming laughter and pink hair strode to the centre the room and grinned.

"Natsu," Ms. Vermillion began, "is a student from many countries; I hear he's travelled far and wide. Tell us about it, Natsu."

Ms. Vermillion, the rest of the class and what was left of my soul stared at the new student. In the left corner of my eye, I could see Gray was grinning, whilst in my right, Juvia was visibly fascinated by the new student. I knew her long enough to already know that she was planning on him becoming her new alcohol test subject, also known as HMVSCD (How Much Vodka Someone Can Drink).

 _Oh God, new kid, you came to the wrong school with the wrong people who will force you to do wrong things with the right vodka._

My face remained blank alongside my brain.

"Well," Natsu laughed, "That's all there is to it actually; I've just been to lots of places. And is there a cafeteria here?"

"Yes, there is." Gray hollered.

This seemed enough for Ms. Vermillion as she smiled and asked, "Anything else, Natsu?"

"..I guess I'm a half-decent flute player or so-"

As they scanned broadly across the room, Natsu's eyes finally met mine. A mixture of emotions tightened my stomach, all whilst I continued to starve for food. _Does he even recognise me? I mean the only reason I recognise him is obviously because of the hair but I'm just plain blonde hair. There's blonde people everywhere! I don't even mean the stereotypical blonde, I mean the blonde-blonde, the platinum blonde, the Dolly Parton or something. Wait, wha-_

"CAN OF MONSTER GIRL."

Sporting a familiar crooked grin, Natsu's eyes were directly on me. And the whole room followed his own as everyone quickly reacted by gluing their eyes on _that blonde, always-sober chick that the new kid just randomly called out._

"What?" Gray broke the quick silence.

"It's that chick from the convenience store." Natsu replied more calmly, as if it all made sense in an instant.

"Oh my God, Natsu, you can't just say 'that chick from the convenience store'." Gray face-palmed, still leaving me with more than a dozen curious eyes to deal with, unfortunately including Juvia.

I decided to finally reply to him; after all, we really hadn't had much of an introduction unless you call 'move on with your life' something of an introduction.

"Hey.." I breathed out, eyeing the boy in front of the class, "..Natsu."

* * *

Natsu—I noticed—was still as tall as I remembered him from the convenience store. It wasn't to say that he was suppose to grow, but rather to realise for myself that when you're half-asleep and craving for an energy drink in a convenience store, you're not really able to properly take in a person's appearance or anything about them whatsoever.

Now that I had maintained a decent amount of sleep and my head was fairly functional, I realised that apart from his pink hair being something that amused me, Natsu had well-rounded facial features and now that I had observed him in the sun instead of the pale yellow lights of the convenience store, his tan skin was near a fair complexion—despite the fact that it still somehow glowed when he was near patches of sunlight. _Natsu Dragneel, or whoever the hell you are—you probably have a secret identity; Monster Can Hero?—trust me when I say and swear to God that I will find what self tanner you use._

During the last two periods, Natsu made it easy for the class and maybe even the whole world to acknowledge that he was easygoing and of course, adaptive. It helped that he was the alleged 'middle school childhood friend' of Gray, who—despite the fact that they were at least four seats away from each other—bickered with him the whole two hours. Which meant that Juvia constantly told Gray to shut up, alongside Lisanna and Levy. And since Levy was distressed and annoyed at Gray; Gajeel 'Ultimate Boyfriend' Redfox followed as he threatened Gray to shut up by telling him he was going to break 'every goddamn, fuckin' vase you own in that apartment of yours'.

Gray and Natsu persisted; whether it was just to specifically piss us off or if they were genuinely ready to beat the hell out of each other, I could never tell. Natsu was seated four seats away from the group, but he continued to bicker at Gray nonetheless; his voice echoed throughout the room as Gray spat his insults back. The rest of class remained somehow nonchalant with Bisca commenting; "it's not like this didn't happen every other damn day with Gajeel and Gray."

The two boys continued, this time onto the subject of me;

"You just called one of my friends 'some chick from the convenience store'!" Gray spat out, pulling my attention from my current work—Advanced Vocabulary sheets—into their argument.

"No, you fuckin' ass. I called her _that_ chick from the convenience store." Natsu visibly gritted his teeth.

"How the fuck does that even make a difference?"

Juvia's voice came up once again even as she focused on her work, "Shut the fuck up, Gray."

Natsu continued, "It's a metaphor or some shit. Why do you even care?"

"I don't. But Lucy isn't just some chick from the convenience store. She's, like, top student or some shit."

Gajeel added his own words as he similarly focused on his work, "Lucy's probably even more than top student, you dumb ass."

"Shut the fuck up, Gray." Juvia repeated.

"What does that even have to do with anything?" Natsu yelled.

"I don't know." Gray shrugged but yelled; "Bro, do you have twenty bucks?"

"Yeah, but I ain't giving any of my fuckin' money to you!"

"Fuck up! You probably owe me, like, hundreds of bucks since middle school!"

"Shut the fuck up, Gray." Juvia's voice yet again.

"Fuckin' hell. I need it on this wager thing."

"Gray, are you seriously getting money off the person you're betting on?" Lisanna asked, almost whispering.

"Watch me as I do, fuckers." Gray smirked then continued to face Natsu, whilst Lisanna silently muttered about him being broke sooner or later.

"I will not give you my money." Natsu yelled firmly.

"It's just twenty bucks, you dumbass. And wasn't I the one who suggested this place to you?"

"Well, I fuckin' regret seeing your face already!" Natsu yelled.

"Fuck you! I have the face of a God."

"Truly, a sexy beast." Lisanna said sarcastically, to which Gray, Natsu and the whole room took full attention in.

"Wowzers," Gajeel said dryly, "Sexier than a rock; Gray Fullbuster, everybody."

Levy added as she continued to scribble down on her paper, "Carved by Michelangelo himself."

I decided to add to their parade; "Abs sculpted by Abraham Lincoln, probably. Practically a walking heater set to a thousand degrees."

"And Donald Trump once admitted he would win the elections for Fullbuster's face. Sexier than even Donald, himself. Let's give it up for Gray Fullbuster, everyone!" Juvia exclaimed as the whole room erupted in claps, cheering and some soul yelling; "Truly, an inspiration to us all."

Despite the swearing, mini appreciation speech drowned in sarcasm and overall insanity, Ms. Vermillion only smiled. Sometimes, I felt that she even liked the chaos of Class 5B, causing her not to interfere with us—hormonal teenage adolescents—and our striving, almost endless energy.

In the midst of the cheering and chatter amongst the class—which seemed acceptable because everyone was considered a top student, so it was natural for us to quickly finish our work—I took the opportunity to finally whip my head around from the front of the class to the back; where Natsu sat, eternally grinning. His laugh continued to echo amongst even others and again, I found it calming me. He was beginning to be surrounded by a student or two.

Finally finishing their work and loosening, Gajeel and Levy sat up to walk to Gray; Gajeel's arms wrapped around her tiny waist and all that romantic jazz. Juvia and Levy began another intense conversation; this time on the American elections and the stupidity within it. I glanced at the two in their depth as they traded thoughts on Donald Trump; each passing word negative. I laughed at their intensity and sighed happily as I took in the view of the chattered room; almost everybody was standing up.

In the midst of the chaos, Natsu and I's eyes met once again. And this time, it felt real. Most likely because I hadn't been focusing on curry at the time or losing my mind in an convenience store. I smiled at him like I had meant to my whole life, and he smiled back.

The most warmest smile I could've imagined, and for a split second—despite the fact that the weather showed clear, early waking calls of the winter season—his smile engulfed me in summer.

* * *

 **Here goes Chapter 4! There will be even more banter in the next chapter, but right now, I'm having a dilemma; I was planning on updating one chapter each day, but I feel like updating two chapters today. Tell me in the reviews below if you want two chapters each Friday. I might update another chapter today, but only if people really request for it. I have Chapter 5 and 6 already under wraps and am working on Chapter 7 and 8 on the weekend. You'll get to have more Natsu and Lucy's banter next chapter if I do update it!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 _Apricity; (noun) the warmth of the sun in the winter._


	5. Jasper

The end of classes should really be pictured as something like a breath of relief; after all, it was finally the end of school work and one should take a deserving nap for managing to make their brain function for a long period of time. This heaven I imagined and described did not apply to Magnolia Academy. Or really, it didn't apply to my crowd.

This was evident from the fact that even though I was extremely tired and needed a nap as badly as much as America needed a wakeup call, I strode through the hallways with everyone, and Natsu Dragneel. Erza, Kagura and Minerva had emerged from their classrooms looking like they had a brawl instead of partaking in their education—not that _anymore_ teachers would be willing to sacrifice their lives by trying to stop anything in the girls' arguments. _Poor Mrs McGambury; sent to hospital because Erza kicked her instead of Kagura._

This was nearly identical for Yukino, Rogue and Sting; _nearly_ identical because instead of all three brawling, it seemed like Yukino was the only one really beating up anybody. She had emerged from the class looking drunk or pissed or both. Gajeel, yet again, complimented her abilities when he saw both boys absolutely stiff whilst I sighed. Gray and Natsu hadn't stopped their yelling even out of the class. Juvia, Lisanna and Levy also continued in chatter whilst I stayed silent; humming to myself, hands forever glued to my pockets as we all walked through the hallway.

"So," Erza began after she slapped Kagura, "Is this the new kid? The mystery middle school childhood friend? The infamous MMSCF?" She glanced at Gray then at Natsu, who only kept grinning.

Kagura slapped her back, which was useless because none of the slaps really affected either one of them. Their faces and body were made of steel, built specifically for brawls and possibly world domination.

"Of course he is," Kagura said then afterwards quickly raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you?"

Natsu smiled, "The one and only; The MMSCF."

Levy also cocked an eyebrow, evidently now focused on their conversation, "So is the pink hair what you were about to tell us then stopped, Gray?"

Gray laughed, "Well, what else would it be?"

"His stupidity?" Gajeel suggested.

Juvia sighed before Natsu could pounce on Gajeel, "Let's not get into any fuckin' fights, darlings. If anybody wants to fight, just know that I have been through four classes with these two fuckin' morons"—she glared directly at Gray and Natsu, who backed away in fear—"and if anybody pisses me off and starts a brawl now, I will drown you in bad alcohol in your sleep. And don't think I won't know where you live, new kid."

I grinned as Juvia finished her threats.

"That's Juvia, Natsu." I faced the pink-haired boy, "Don't piss her off."

"Noted." he grinned back, although I was sure he really was scared of the blue-haired girl. _Don't think Juvia won't actually pour alcohol on you in your sleep. Because she will and no amount of heavy shower for weeks will get rid of the stench. God bless the Locksers._

"Natsu, where have you been so far?" Yukino politely asked, smiling.

Sting almost dropped his jaw, facing Yukino in disbelief, "Okay, so now you're all sober and nice to Natsu? You almost wrecked my beautiful face in biology!"

"Dude," Rogue muttered, "She almost broke my leg in chemistry, I have no idea what you're on about."

"Damn right Yuki wrecked you both." Minerva scoffed proudly then grinned, "She was taught from the best."

"Fuck you, Minerva. I'm not giving you asses any fucking money this month!"

As if on cue, Lisanna then asked; "Sting, can you buy me some food in the cafe?"

"Okay." Sting said automatically, "I mean, wait, what? Fuckin' hell."

"So much for not giving us money." Erza murmured, grinning at Kagura who laughed in agreement.

This was the time Natsu finally answered, "Hmm, I've just been to lots of places, I guess."

His answer came in late as Yukino and Sting had already erupted into an argument and Lisanna and Rogue began a conversation regarding Sting's money. Natsu laughed at the sight and to my surprise, he began to pace towards me.

He grinned, both hands shoved in his jean pockets, "Hello, convenience store girl."

I sighed but smiled, "Hello Natsu, my name is Lucy. And I hope we can forget about my rant that night."

"Oh, that's not entirely possible."

I cocked my head, "You know what? I think it is."

"How could I forget such kind words? Such inspiration can only be found elsewhere in Donald Trump's speeches." His pink hair bounced around in his short ponytail.

"Lovely. How do you like the academy so far?"

"Very peculiar. It's been enjoyable these last few hours. The no uniforms thing does not suck and I met the chick that ranted to me in a local convenience store. So, to summarise; life-changing." he reviewed. I laughed. _The only thing life-changing here is Juvia's vodka test, but I'm not gonna mention that to you yet._

"Good to know. How's Koharu life in general?"

"Good so far. I see the place is always busy. Full of parties, I'm guessing?"

"You bet; this place is the go-to when it comes to booze. And especially vodka."

Juvia shot a quick glance at us, "Did someone say vodka?"

"I'm just telling the guy about the infamous vodka here in Koharu." I informed her.

"Don't you mean _my_ infamous vodka here in Koharu?"

"Oh yes," I faced Natsu again, " _Juvia's_ infamous vodka here in Koharu."

"Wait, is she some kind of vodka expert or something? I heard her talking about vodka to the other chick. In great detail." he whispered.

I chuckled, "Juvia's a bartender. A pretty well-known one here in Koharu too. And the 'other chick' is Lisanna."

"Seriously? And what are you?"

"A tattooist."

"Wait, what?" he stared in disbelief.

I laughed, covering my eyes in amusement, "No, I'm not."

"God, do not do that again. If you were serious, I would've asked for a tattoo."

"I know. I like your dragon." I stared at his right bicep; where the fiery, red dragon was placed, "What's its name?"

"Its name?" he repeated, "Wait, what is its name? How come I've never even thought about naming it?"

I grinned, "Then this must be a father moment for you; now what is it?"

"Wait, wait, I can't just do this on a whim. This has to be something special. With the right atmosphere and dramatic music."

"Like a pregnancy show when the babies appear and everything is all intense?"

"I'm thinking Kim Kardashian divorces Kanye intense."

Gray said from behind us, "I just heard the word pregnancy in your conversation, are you guys okay?"

"We are, but Kanye isn't." I replied.

"What?"

I turned my head to face Natsu again, "C'mon, make up your mind."

"If you pressure me, I'll end up calling it Cecilia or something stupid on a whim."

"What the hell is wrong with Cecilia?" I laughed.

"I don't know," he muttered, "It's just that it's this awesome, fire-breathing dragon who probably lives in his lair being cool as fuck and maybe emo, and I just name it something like Cecilia? People will mistake the dragon for a saint."

"Saint Cecilia; fire-breathing dragon. Burning people to death so they can live peacefully in heaven." I added.

Gajeel turned to look at us, "I have no idea what you two are talking about but I can confirm that Saint Cecilia sounds metal as fuck."

I grinned, "And there you go, Natsu. Even approval from the metalhead, himself."

"Saint Cecilia." Natsu repeated, now grinning, "I guess I can grow on her."

"Woah, you guys are gonna have the best father-daughter relationship. How old is Cecilia?"

"Just three years." he said, "But still as emo and cool as her Dad."

"Sounds inspirational." I paused to take a breath. It took me a minute to realise in my head that the conversation with Natsu was the longest I had ever gone the whole week without thinking about the essay. _Wow, thank you essay; I'm having a good conversation and you just wanna ruin the moment._

"She constantly asks for new people to burn down so they can be happy in heaven." Natsu continued.

"At least she has good intentions."

"Wait, who asks to burn people down?" Lisanna asked from the back.

Natsu and I both whipped our heads around and said simultaneously:

"Kanye."

* * *

Natsu—as all of us boarded the trams to the city centre—was given a good introduction from everyone. Erza quickly told him gruesome yet somehow entertaining stories of Kagura, Minerva and her during their even younger days when they'd somehow trash each other's houses because they fought so often. Everyone else knew about the parts where Kagura got a good stomach kick from Minerva, how Erza got a massive punch to the face by Kagura, how Minerva apparently couldn't walk properly for a week because Erza practically wrecked her legs during one accident involving cake and of course, that part where the police had to show up at Kmart because they were having a massive brawl, _at Kmart._

Gajeel took his time to be proud and recalled about that one time he broke Gray's TV and survived. He also added the fact that he asked out Levy that week and she accepted, apparently meaning that he was 'the new god of luck or some cool shit."

Sting retold a beloved memory involving Yukino, Rogue and himself actually getting along when they were smashed. He laughed throughout his entire recollection; reminiscing about the part where they sang _High School Musical_ the whole night, much to Juvia's dismay.

"You guys wrecked my fuckin' ears the whole night because you sang 'Together' a million times." Juvia groaned, massaging her temples with her fingertips as if she was reliving the night. She was seated alongside Yukino, Levy and Natsu whilst everyone remained standing.

This made Sting laugh even harder, "I know. I cannot believe how smashed I was that night."

I sighed, "Neither can I. I could still hear you guys screaming 'wildcats' in my head when I went home."

"And remember"—Sting paused to chuckle—"when Rogue just fell down afterwards and I actually dragged him out? That was my life achievement."

"I remember too clearly." Lisanna sighed, "People in the cafe were looking at us like we were hobos."

"Wasn't I on the verge of stripping that night?" Gray asked, genuinely confused as he never recollected memories when smashed.

"You weren't on the verge," I said, "You actually did strip and everyone had to keep getting you to put on some pants and Juvia was yelling at you the entire night, it was god-awful and High School Musical doesn't help."

"High School Musical never helps." Yukino gritted her teeth, obviously trying to recollect memories. _No one better fuckin' mention the part where she told some poor stranger to fuck off because he almost stole her cab ride home._

"Hey, didn't Yukino tell a gu-" Rogue began but was interrupted by Erza.

"Rogue, don't say another word." she warned and without even understanding, he obeyed.

Natsu took the moment to finally comment, "This all seems so exciting and yet, now I'm scared of this city's vodka."

"This place really does wonders to people; you'll never guess what happened to Gray when he just wouldn't shut up one night." Juvia laughed.

Natsu's lips began to curve, his eyes glinting with excitement and I knew from the bottom of my heart that he was never going to let Gray live this one down.

"Wait, what's this one now?" Gajeel suddenly asked.

Levy answered, "It's the first water fountain accident, babe."

Gajeel grinned, "Ah, finally, onto the bestseller."

"Okay," Juvia began enthusiastically, "So, we were all fuckin' smashed as usual…"

And the memory of the certain September night burst in the midst of my essay thoughts.

* * *

 **Natsu Dragneel appears! And has conversed with Lucy! Development! Hahahah.**

 **Anyway, the next week chapters will be around 1,000 - 2,000 because I'm getting myself prepped up in the weekend for longer chapters. In any case, just wanted to let a few people know that there will be more serious crap in the future in the story; although I'll still add in spices of stupidity everywhere.**

 **By the way, for you manga readers; I'm so pumped up to see more of this Lady Eileen! Oh my God, it's either Erza's mother or sister; I vote sister!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and thank you for all the lovely reviews so far! Your words motivate any writer, including myself.**

 **I will be updating two chapter every Friday!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Jasper; (noun) An opaque reddish-brown semi-precious stone consisting of a variety of chalcedony._


	6. Nefarious

It was a September night and whatever was going through my head wasn't awfully rational. Of course, I was still sober. Sober than everyone else, at least. But I had drank through an astonishing twelve bottles—a proud achievement and record—and so at least I was scheduled for a little dizziness, but that was all. Lisanna had been away with Mira and Elfman on a trip for a week, so there was no one who told anyone it was time to stop drinking. And maybe, because it was only minor—for me, anyway—I could've walked to the train station safe, sound and perfectly content. But Gray didn't agree with such peacefulness.

To start, everyone was walking—or rather crawling—like zombies to the nearest train station at some ungodly hour. Gajeel had to wrapped his arms around Levy to be able to stand up, and even then he barely could. It was the same for Juvia and Gray; who, if dared, could drink a massive amount to their hearts content and so they had clung to each other's shoulders with their legs barely having any sense of direction. Sting had to piggyback Yukino, who was asleep; exhausted from screaming at him, and drag Rogue with his hand. Essentially, in the game of zombies, Rogue and Yukino were already dead. Kagura, Minerva and Erza, despite having drunk more than enough, still had bottles of vodka in their hands each and Erza carried an entire pack for 'emergency situations'.

But as we neared the station, for some ungodly reason in those ungodly hours, Gray began to sing Pitch Perfect's 'Cup Song'. In his defence the day afterwards, he had no idea what motivated him considering he didn't even like the movie that much.

Absolutely smashed, he spat out; "I haz' z'ticket for a long way round.."

His words were familiar to my ears, but as soon as his voice began, it was all replaced with the sound of buzzing. And I desperately needed it to stop.

"..two bottles of vodka for zhe' way.."

"Gray.." I murmured, still a little dazed.

"..and I zure would like some sweet com"-he hiccuped-"any,"

"Gray, stop."

"-and I'm leaving zomrow, what do ya zay?"

"Oh my God, Gray.."

"When I'm gone, when I'm gon-e-"

"Gray, shut the fuck up."

"You're gonna miss me when I'm go-ne-"

"Please, Gray, stop."

"You're gonna miss me by me hair-"

"Shut the fuck up, Gray, oh my god."

"-You're gonna miss me everywhere-"

"Gray, I swear, I'm going to fuckin' drop you."

"Oh, I know, you're gonna miss me whe-"

At that point, my mind had made a clear goal. As swiftly as I could, I whipped my head around and ran to Gray and Juvia, who had stopped out of confusion. I quickly shoved Juvia's arms around Gray's shoulders off and then ran to face his back. Holding in my breath, I wrapped my arms around his waist and somehow managed to actually successfully lift him off the ground. Never in my life had I been so physically active.

This earned a bit of attention from Gajeel; I knew that if he were sober, he would've cheered on.

Gray, on the other hand, didn't take it well. As I lifted him, he had somehow come to snap out of his drunken state.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN, GAJEEL! I WILL FUCKIN' SUE YOU, YOU HEAR ME?"

In my search for enlightenment, I quickly spotted a nearby shallow water fountain, still running even in the coming evening. My mind quickly created another goal. Begrudgingly, I slowly walked over to the fountain, lifting Gray as I went and trying my hardest to block out his screams and declarations of lawsuits.

"I WILL FUCKIN' FIND THE BEST FUCKIN' LAWYER IN THIS PLACE AND I WILL PUT YOU IN JAIL IF YOU DO NOT FUCKIN' PUT ME DOWN! GAJEEL! _GAJEEL!"_

Arriving in the fountain, in one swift movement I dropped and pushed Gray towards the water, careful not to lung in the fountain myself. He landed with a few splashes, coughing as he emerged his face. His hair was soaked, alongside the rest of his body and clothes.

Standing as I stared at my soaked black-haired friend sprawled across the fountain, I could hear Gajeel, Erza, Kagura, Minerva, Sting's and even a dazed Levy and Juvia's laughter from behind me. And suddenly I found it the perfect moment to say something badass.

So with a hidden smirk and a sigh, I breathed out;

"You're not gonna fuckin' miss me when I'm gone."

* * *

Sting, Natsu and Gajeel's laughter didn't end even after Juvia finished recalling the story.

"I will never forget that day." Gajeel declared.

"None us will." Sting said, "And Lucy did it again a few months later after he took a photo of her on Snapchat."

Gray grimaced throughout the entire recollection but I knew he wanted to laugh at it as much as everybody.

I sighed, "It was his fault, anyway."

"Have you ever been drunk before, Lucy?" Natsu asked, and I realised that was the first time he had called me by my name. I felt strangely happy, but shoved the thought away.

"No, no," Gajeel said before I could say anything, "Lucy doesn't get drunk."

"Wait, you don't drink?" Natsu asked, a little bewildered.

"I do. I really do." I laughed, "I just always somehow stay sober."

"What?"

"It's been a mystery to us all." Lisanna commented.

"If I hadn't been sober, I wouldn't have dumped Gray's ass on that fountain, so be grateful people." I protested, earning a few laughs.

I finally took my attention to the view outside; we had finally reached the city centre. For the past fifteen minutes, it had been raining lightly; mere rain wouldn't effect Koharu's liveliness. Pattering the tram windows, the obscure sound of tiny droplets of rain filled my ears.

"Get up, people," Erza ordered, "We're here."

Everyone including the group stood inside the tram. Natsu stood beside me; his tan face dangerously near my own. I buried my cheeks inside my scarf to hide what I knew fully well to be a faint blush.

"What's 'here'?" he asked me as everyone broke down to make their own conversations with each other.

"Hmm, the city centre, I guess."

Then I realised and grinned, "Oh, and Fairy Tail Cafe."

* * *

 **You know you sang the song in your head. I did all the time whilst constantly proof-reading. And so finally, we properly get to experience Natsu. Lucy and him make the best banter for me to write. I end up making them talk about everything. I know I said I wouldn't update on the weekend but I had just checked on my drafts and I'm so ahead with this story, so I thought; "Why not spoil some readers?". Hahahaha. But depending on next week, I will have to halt updates on the weekend. But so far, there are so many chapters I've written, that's just cause I love writing it right now. I get really into things like that if something really intrigues me.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading!**

 **Love,**

 **Ice**

 _Nefarious; (adj.) Wicked, villainous, despicable._


	7. Scintilla

Natsu was quick to grow fond of mocking Gajeel; as expected. This is evident from their arguments as everyone strolled the familiar path from the trams to the cafe. Gray walked in front of them, not quire participating in their heated insults. He complimented himself about being mature and not getting into fights but Juvia slapped him in the arm fast enough to remind him of the many fits he had made in public before; this lead to their own usual arguments. Kagura and Erza also somehow managed to make yet another argument about Erza's unhealthy cake habit whilst Minerva blankly stared at the sky; indifferent to their qualms for some unknown reason. Sting and Yukino simply argued about everything as they always do; leaving the 'shut the fuck up' role to Rogue.

Growing tired of insulting Gajeel as he walked, Natsu eventually opted to walk beside me. His face full of amusement and excitement from all the buildings and shops. _Truly, like a child._

"So," he began, facing me with his now signature grin, "What's this cafe place all about?"

I beamed, "You should ask your buddy, Gray, if you want the real history and all."

Natsu obeyed and turned his head to his friend; Gray was yelling at Juvia, who yelled back even louder. "Yo, Gray!"

"WHAT?" Gray exclaimed, whipping his head around, pure annoyance etched on his face, "Can't you see I'm putting this bitch"—he gestured a hand at Juvia—"in her place?"

Juvia slapped him in the face harsh enough for me to hear the faint sound. "You dumbass! Can't you see _I'm_ the one putting you in your fuckin' place?"

"I'm clearly winning this argument!" Gray waved his hands up in the air as if it was the obvious thing on Earth, "I'm fuckin' telling you there is no way Kim K. is divorcing Kanye!"

"You fuckin' moron! Didn't you see her last goddamn marriage? No shit, it was a disaster!" she yelled.

"How many times do I have to say that Kanye is the biggest thing on Earth right now, woman?" Gray yelled in disbelief, "Oh my God, I have never seen anyone so blind in my fuckin' life!"

Juvia slapped him again and I sighed. _At least she hasn't actually murdered him yet._

Natsu turned to look at me, "My buddy, Gray, is a bit busy right now."

I laughed, "I see. Well, Gray, being a dumbass, was hoping to go to Starbucks three years ago when it was recently built around that time. He got tired and just stumbled into Fairy Tail Cafe exhausted and ordered what he wanted; a smoothie. Starbucks was actually just another block away but the cafe turned into our spot from then on."

"He truly is a dumbass." Natsu laughed and I treasured it. His laugh was a soothing wave. It calmed me and made me forget about ungodly worldly things such as essays, republicans, world hunger and Donald Trump—things that no one could easily fix no matter how hard they tried.

"He has his moments."

"I would know; being the middle school childhood friend and all. How long have you guys' been friends with each other?"

"Him and I? Or him and everyone?"

"I suppose everyone." he answered after a second.

"Well, it's more like we were all boarded in the same sinking ship; we all became friends in freshman year. At that time, I was already friends with Erza since I went to middle school with her. Kagura and Minerva were friends with Yukino and the guys, so there's that. We all united together to become the idiots that we are now."

"How did you and Gray become friends?"

I sighed, almost reliving the day in my head, "During the second week of freshman year, Gray made his debut awfully _exciting_ by losing a top and asking me out of all people for a spare gym shirt."

Natsu laughed heartily, glancing at Gray with Lisanna's gym shirt as he did so.

I continued, "I gave it to him out of pity. We've been friends ever since that accident. I haven't really been able to become surprised at his usual crap."

"And you're okay with that?" he chuckled.

I shrugged, "Just a few weeks ago, Gajeel just decided to take Gray's lamp to his apartment for no reason. And they started a brawl in the city when Gray found out."

"Do you think I'd fit in?" he grinned.

An unusual question but I ended up laughing.

"That depends on how long you plan to stay, Natsu." I smirked.

He grinned but didn't say anything afterwards. I wondered why he didn't say anything to argue. _I shouldn't try to get into crap I'm not involved in._

And so, Natsu and I strolled peacefully to the cafe; both unconsciously staring at the grey clouds and humming show tunes.

 _I suppose Koharu isn't really anything at all compared to the places he's gone to._

* * *

The warm air greeted me once again. Even though it was a weekday, Fairy Tail Cafe was still as lively as it had been on the weekend; the music—the usual acoustic songs—hummed faintly in the background and the renowned heavenly scent of overly sweet cakes had hit me and probably a starved Erza. The owner—Makarov Dreyer, an unusually short man, quite perverted too—sat in one of many barstools, catching up with lady acquaintances as he always did. Mirajane was behind the bar as she usually was; she waved and beamed at the sight of us arriving.

Due to Makarov's experience, FT Cafe wasn't entirely, well, a _cafe._ The short man had previously owned pubs, so he incorporated a bar in the cafe two years ago. Alongside karaokes. _Maybe this is why Starbucks is panicking._

"I was wondering when you guys would show up," she greeted, then spotted Natsu, who grinned.

"Is this some kind of new recruit?" she asked.

Yukino, Erza, Minerva, Levy, Lisanna and Juvia already sat in the usual table; all in deep conversation. I wrinkled an eyebrow but decided to ignore it.

"Hell yeah." Sting grinned, "But first, may I order my usual?"

"Five cakes coming right up." Mirajane said automatically.

With that, the guys and myself strolled to the table, taking seats. Gajeel quickly pushed Sting out of his seat next to Levy so he could maintain his dignity as her boyfriend. Natsu sat next to me; his arm brushing against my own. Saint Cecilia and I quickly made contact.

"So this is Fairy Tail Cafe." he breathed out, facing me.

I grinned, "The one and only. It used to be nearly empty, now it's the big staple in town."

"Starbucks competitor, I'm guessing?"

"Pretty much."

"I find it hard to believe it's all because of Gray."

"Neither do I. To think him being half-smashed would lead to good things. I wouldn't have believed it three years ago."

"What would you have done?"

I laughed, thinking about my answer, "I would've said 'you're a fuckin' idiot' and drink probably my fourth bottle of beer."

"I still doubt you always being sober."

I laughed, "Well, you really shouldn't. I'm a V.V"

"What the hell is a V.V?"

"A now-popular alcoholic term Juvia created last year; vodka veteran."

Our conversation remained between us as everyone opted to complain and converse about Sting's unhealthy amount of food; Erza being the main speaker—or really, just the angriest. It seemed like her and Yukino were fighting over who could be angry at Sting the most, much to blonde-haired boy's horror.

"Vodka veteran," he repeated then snickered, "But wait, isn't everybody a V.V here in Koharu then?"

"Hmm, I guess. But I'm a V.V.V."

"What?"

"Vigorous Vodka Veteran. And you, Natsu?"

"I think I can hold my drinks pretty well, actually. But I still haven't witnessed the Koharu standards. I might have to warm up soon."

I laughed, "Warming up for what?"

He grinned mischievously, "Losing my V-card."

"I hope that's not what I'm thinking."

"It is; behold, I'm going to lose my vodka card."

Juvia placed her attention on us, "Did someone say vodka?"

* * *

 **I honestly love _my_ Juvia; not Hiro's Juvia, but mine here. The one here who's a goddamn ****bartender and tells everyone to shut up. She just makes me crack up so much. And with the difference between Hiro and I's Juvia; it ends up being even more funny. I feel like if she were here with me; we'd honestly be inseparable. All your reviews are so wonderful and perfect and just, ahh.**

 **I'm very tired but I'm still as motivated as ever to keep writing. Which reminds me; thank you for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Scintilla; (noun) a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling._


	8. Incandescent

A few more arguments later, the group's attention turned to the pink-haired boy.

"How long are you planning to stay here, Natsu?" Levy asked, followed by an approving glance from Gajeel who had his arms glued around her shoulders.

"I don't know. Maybe awhile." Natsu answered honestly.

"Means we have to make an impression on the dumbass." Gray said, to which everyone agreed.

"Let's make it clear, pinky;" Gajeel began, grinning, "Koharu's—hands down—got the best vodka."

"That's what I'm hearing." Natsu grinned, "We'll have to see though."

I sighed; he had unconsciously turned the conversation violent for himself.

Erza sprang up, "Hey! Don't you fuckin' insult Koharu vodka!"

Kagura sighed, dragging Erza's shirt so she sat back down, "Just…don't say anything negative about the vodka here, Natsu."

"Not in front of Ms. Scarlet and Lockser anyway." Sting warned.

"Don't even argue with them in general." Rogue added.

"As if!" Gray scoffed, smirking, "I've been friends with these two for ages and I'm still alive."

"Barely." I muttered.

"Natsu's gonna challenge Luc-" Sting burst out but was interrupted by Gray.

"Shut the fuck up, Sting."

"Oh.." Sting murmured, "Right."

"What?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow.

Juvia decided to intervene to cover for Gray, "Nevermind those two dumbasses; are you free this weekend, Natsu?"

Natsu grinned, "I feel an invitation coming."

"You're right," Kagura confirmed, "Erza and I have offered our apartments this weekend."

"You better show." Erza barked out, followed by Minerva's 'death with a hint of persuasiveness' glare.

Natsu laughed, "Okay, okay."

"That's Erza, Natsu." I faced him, "Don't piss her off."

"I probably will."

I laughed, "Yeah, I know."

Sting sat silently, eagerly watching Mirajane prepare the cakes.

"Sting," Erza barked, "Give me a cake."

Sting nodded, either having gotten smarter or he was too tired to get scared of her death glares.

Mirajane—as if on cue—strolled to the table, a beam plastered on her face, she had managed to carry five cakes.

"Here, Sting." she eyed the blonde boy, placing four cakes in front of him, "And I assume Erza's already threatened you, so I'll save you the trouble." She placed a slice of strawberry shortcake in front of Erza—much to Kagura's and Minerva's dismay.

"Thanks, Mira." Sting said as he began to shove a cake down his mouth alongside Erza. Mirajane smiled and strolled back to behind the bar.

Yukino sighed, "Sting, you're going to send poor Mira to hospital one day."

"Doesn't Mira have a boyfriend?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Not for pregnancy, you dumbass. You're tiring her out; making her prepare cakes every day."

"And Mira doesn't have a boyfriend." Lisanna puffed a cheek.

"She really should." Levy commented.

"We really should set her up with someone." Gray suggested.

"Eh, Laxus is out of town so he can't ask her out yet." Yukino commented.

"When will Laxus ever be in town?" I asked to no one in particular, "For, like, more than five minutes?"

"Sooner or later, the only reason for him to get back in Koharu is for petrol or something." Gray joked.

"Who's Laxus?" Natsu asked, earning looks from everyone.

"Hmm, who is Laxus?" Juvia repeated, "He's kinda hard to describe."

"He's Makarov's grandson." Gray pointed to the short man seated in the barstools, "He's the old geezer over there."

"Laxus is a college guy. Older than us. We've known him for a while." Lisanna added.

"He's basically having a late emo phrase. I suppose it's all the energy in him; he can't keep it all bottled up. So instead, he's spent it on travelling a few places outside Koharu." Juvia informed as she took a sip of her Cola.

"He makes us sound like we don't have the energy ourselves." Gray scoffed, "I've got as much energy I need. I'm just conserving."

Juvia frowned as she faced him beside her, "You fought with Gajeel in Kmart over a fuckin' lamp just last week."

"It's a twenty dollar beige lamp. What the fuck was I suppose to do?"

"What is a twenty dollar fuckin' beige lamp worth to you?" she asked.

"My life."

"What the fuck?"

Kagura intervened before they could create an argument about interior decorating, "Anyway," she began, "He's just emo right now as usual. Living life to the fullest with his Rainjinshuu Squad."

"Who are those?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow.

"His personal bodyguards." Erza answered, "They just love him as much as Gray loves his lamp."

"Bickslow, Evergreen and Freed." Rogue introduced the three, "They're lively people."

"All of them are probably doing something illegal right now. Like, ambushing McDonalds." Lisanna sighed.

" _We're_ more likely to do that," I corrected, "Laxus and his gang are probably likely to actually do _real_ illegal crap."

"They could join the mafia if they wanted." Minerva laughed.

Gray shuddered, "Italy will never be the same country if those four get involved."

"I'd say Erza, Kagura and Minerva could join the mafia." Sting grinned, "And instead of money, Erza would just ask for cake in return."

I laughed, picturing in my head the three girls in black suits with snipers and machetes, but inside a _bakery._

"They'd be broke by the end of their illegal careers." Rogue added.

"At least they're not starving." Sting argued.

"I'd say you still haven't seen the real side of Magnolia Academy, Natsu." Kagura faced the pink-haired boy, "There's a crap ton of people still missing who really would've made your entrance even better."

"Well, where the hell are they?" Natsu asked.

"Everywhere." I said, "The Academy has this one-year trip all around places in America."

Natsu's eyes widened, "An entire year?"

"Not to brag," Gray began proudly, "But the academy does have more money to wave up in the air than most schools around."

"So they just decide to send students to America?"

"Pretty much. A lot of our friends last year got to go. And it's not entirely just for kicks either."

Juvia continued for Gray, "Since Magnolia Academy is an international school—quite a prestigious one too—people in the American trip try to recruit students from different schools."

Natsu laughed, "You guys are just hauling people's asses to the school?"

"Aggressive, aren't we?" I smirked.

"I'm so fuckin' excited for this year's recruits," Juvia squealed, "I'm going to drown them in vodka and see how they go."

"What the fuck, woman." Gray sighed.

Juvia suddenly whipped her head to look at Natsu, her eyes sparkling, "Which reminds me, Natsu; at Erza and Kagura's, we're going to test you out."

"What?"

Gray sighed whilst Gajeel laughed heartily. Everyone eyed Natsu; ranging from looks of suspense and pity, to excitement—mainly only from Juvia and Erza.

Gray faced his pink-haired friend, "HMVSCD."

"Wait, what?" Natsu asked, still blatantly confused.

"How Much Vodka Someone Can Drink." Gray explained, eyeing his friend sympathetically, and I knew he was reliving the night of his own experience with Juvia's mischief.

" _What the fuck."_

* * *

 **Sorry if this one was a bit short, but since I'm updating everyday, this is my average; all considering school work, art work and whatnot.**

 **I just thought about the story arcs and how I'm planning to end them individually and I just realised I need more chapters to finish off this arc even though I had unconsciously planned to end it early. I had planned to end this arc on a nalu note but guess we're gonna have to attend a partayy.**

 **Everyone is freaking out about Lady Eileen but I'm still wondering if she's going to be incorporated in this fic. Might, might not. I wouldn't have a clue how introduce her without the specifics in the manga. So I guess we'll have to wait.**

 **Other than that; thank you for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Incandescent; (adj.) E_ _mitting light as a result of being heated. F_ _ull of strong emotion; passionate._


	9. Iridescent

The rain that once pattered down the cafe windows disappeared during the evening. When Erza started to begin suggesting drinking booze on a school night, everyone decided it was time to go home, leaving the red-headed girl angry at everyone's lack of willingness. Levy had only sighed; saying that she had already lost her dignity a long time ago to vodka, now she didn't want to lose her education. Everyone else nodded in agreement and Gajeel commented that he was pretty sure Erza was already smashed somehow from her all her anger.

Koharu evenings—especially from the view in the city centre, and even better up the North Wing—would either have the sky coloured a deep shade of purple or a fiery arrangement of reds and oranges. Both would eventually be devoured by pitch black, but it didn't stop me from admiring them. That evening, the skies were coloured a lighter arrangement of oranges, but it was clear to see that it was getting darker as minutes passed.

Gray and Juvia, who lived in the East Wing and had to catch a late train to their respective apartments, opted to go grocery shopping together. They had waved goodbye to everyone as they strolled down the street, evidently bickering as they always had these last five years.

"I said, we are getting fuckin' broccoli, woman!" Gray yelled, only a minute after they waved everyone goodbye.

Juvia scoffed, "Gray, you dumb fuck; we are getting celery.

"What is wrong with you?!"

I laughed, staring at the two as they continued to walk; undoubtedly, they would scare the hell out of cashiers. _I pray for the civilians who witness those two._

Yukino and the boys, who lived in the West Wing, opted to go home immediately. Rogue had panicked; having remembered he had forgotten to feed his cat, Frosch, early in the morning. And with Frosch involved, the other two sympathised with their friend and instead of going to the supermarket to 'buy a shitton of bacon' as they had originally planned, they ran to the West Wing train station. Lisanna stayed at the cafe as she always did; helping Mirajane as the evening passed by.

Living in the South Wing, Erza, Kagura and Minerva took off to their train station as well; Kagura and Minerva both having to restrain and drag Erza as she yelled at everyone; still angered at the fact that everyone had things to do other than drink.

Gajeel and Levy, who conveniently lived in the city centre itself, simply walked to their apartment in peace. They strolled happily like a movie scene with a sunset; Levy was explaining a plot of one of the books she had been currently reading to Gajeel, who patiently listened. _Gajeel wouldn't listen as quietly or patiently to anybody else otherwise. Levy does wonders._

This left Natsu and I. I stared at the tan-skinned boy. _His skin really does glow. Even clearer in the evening sunset too. What the hell? Tell me your self tanning secrets, boy._

I cocked an eyebrow, "Where do you live, Natsu?"

Natsu grinned; he was staring at the orange sky too. "I'm not sure, but I'm near some huge park. Would where I live be considered the North Wing?"

"The North Wing?" I repeated, "Ah, that's where I live."

My thoughts crawled back to the early morning train dilemma. _It really must've been him in the train this morning._

"I thought so. I'm pretty sure I spotted you on the train this morning. But then again, I wasn't so sure. So I kinda thought I was just drunk, imagining the alleged convenience store girl out of all people."

I laughed, "Same here."

I gestured for him to stroll with me; the first time I've ever done so. Following the familiar path to the North Wing train station, I strolled with my hands behind my back instead of shoved in my trench coat pockets—the first I've done so in a while. There were very few people out in the streets, it was becoming late; a usual Koharu City tradition was that if the sky was beginning to colour itself deep red, you could do either two things; get smashed or get back home. But no one had mentioned anything about just politely admiring the sunset—so essentially, I rebelled against tradition. And from the looks of it, so was Natsu. Hearing the rough taps of our shoes against the concrete, my mind became blank—and I didn't despise it.

"So, Gray's like this now, huh.." he nearly whispered and I wondered if he was only talking to himself.

"What do you mean?"

He visibly struggled to find words, "Well, uh, you know; that Juvia and uh, him, I guess."

As he finished, he looked on more clearly and repeated; "I guess."

I laughed, "I get what you mean."

He faced me, "You do?"

"Juvia and Gray have been friends since freshman year. She's been the closest to him out of everybody. She's been the one who's dealt with him most out of everybody. She's been the shoulder his arms have to hold onto when he's smashed. Between their fights about broccoli, celery and all that jazz, they have a level of friendship not a lot of people can find in each other."

I grinned. Natsu took a moment to reply, "Wow. That's some deep shit."

"I know."

"Are you a writer or something?"

 _Perceptive._

"..Maybe."

"That explains a lot."

I glanced at him, "What does?"

"Never mind about it." he grinned, "But you do know about the other aspect to Gray and Juvia, right?"

I took a moment to reply. Of course I knew the other aspect of Gray and Juvia; I've been with them and have silently observed them for years.

"I get what you mean."

"I'm pretty sure you're, like, really, really smart, Lucy."

I laughed, "Likewise, Natsu."

"Oh?"

"Gray did mention you were stupid but smart." I pointed out.

"Ah! What an asshole! Blowing my cover."

I grinned, my left hand somewhat squeezing my left behind my back.

"Tell me about the places you've travelled, Natsu."

And it felt like more than just an order, beg or plead. Suddenly, I had craved Natsu's tales about his travels. I had read books about pirates from England, American pilots who soared through the sky and couples who were destined for tragedy in the world wars—all in the sanctuary of my own home. To think of the different places on Earth overwhelmed me and I wondered how Natsu felt about it; had it ever overwhelmed him the millions of stories to encounter and experience on Earth alone? Had he ever had thoughts about how many places he could absorb and etch the memories in his head? I had absorbed what I believed to be many memories, and I had never travelled outside the country.

"There's a small town in Italy," he began, unexpectedly, "where I stayed for two nights a year ago. A close-knit town. Filled with families who knew each other. A pair of men who owned a pub served me wine and introduced me to the locals; they kept laughing as they did. Best pair of fuckin' bastards I had meet that year."

I stayed silent. We were already nearing the train station.

He continued, "The same year, I went to New Zealand—my favourite country so far—I went bungee jumping in a staple city there called Queenstown. The most breathtaking views, I swear. There was so much adrenaline that the moment I jumped, I knew I wanted to do it all over again."

I laughed. I wanted to listen to him forever, but at the same time I wondered about vague details that he seemed to leave out—like why he travelled in the first place and how he got the money to travel so vastly. I decided to shove the thoughts away, opting to hear about the experiences rather than the reasons; _I shouldn't try to figure out crap I'm not involved in. Especially about the money. And you've only known him for a day._

"Russia has freezing winters. But it makes sunrises even more prettier. In the snow when you can see your own breath, you can stare at the sunrise for hours—well, I did. I don't know if I really had meant to, it's just the view goddamn hypnotised me."

I grinned, motioning him to keep going.

"And America"—he paused to chuckle—"has the busiest people. There is no limitations in that country, not a single one. You get lost in crowds of people and end up in Forever21 eventually, but I don't mind getting lost in America. It's not the trash country everyone always seems to think it is. America doesn't top Russia's sunrise, but it's close when you watch it somewhere quiet. America's most beautiful where it's quiet, I think."

I sighed, "That's some deep shit."

"I know."

We boarded the train, laughing.

* * *

Natsu tells me of funny experiences in his travels in the train and whilst I would occasionally laugh and comment a thing or two, I stayed as quiet as I could as he grinned and recalled the details.

At some point, he talked about his cat, Happy.

"Happy!" he beamed, "My cat. He's been with me everywhere."

I laughed; my hands were now shoved in the coat pockets as I sat next to Natsu on the train. There were very little people on and I had the sudden thought that the seats weren't as comfortable as I would've liked them to be.

"Wouldn't you have had trouble getting him to different countries?"

"Yeah, the paperwork is a mess all the time. But I end up doing it like homework; I almost treat it like homework too. All for the sake of Happy."

"Charming. RSPCA would approve, I think."

"But sometimes it's just so tiring. I wish the little guy had wings at times."

I grinned, "Cats with wings. Very original."

"So is Saint Cecilia."

I chuckled as I stared at the Saint, herself. "Where was she born?"

"America. I found a tattoo sho—I mean, a hospital there. The doctors were very skilled at their work."

I laughed then sighed, essay thoughts had suddenly flooded back in.

Without much thought, I blurted out; "I'm so fuckin' tired."

Natsu seemed surprised, but he only smiled afterwards, "So am I."

"I'm been tired for a long time now."

"You sound like a woman in her eighties. Or Rose."

I scoffed, "I sound better. And anyway, women in their eighties aren't active enough to be constantly drowning in schoolwork. Ah, look what you've done; now I'm jealous of women in their eighties."

"Have you ever thought that women in their eighties are jealous of you? Of the youth?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because those kinds of thoughts are deep. Like life and death. And I'm already drowning in deep thoughts because of a fuckin' essay. I don't need a degree in philosophy."

"They should really just call it a degree in deep shit."

I laughed, "That's like calling a degree in psychology a degree in mind reading."

"Isn't it just mind reading though?"

"I wouldn't know." I sighed, "Wait, who's Rose?"

"That chick—" he paused, he seemed to have no idea what he was talking about either "—uh, from..Titanic?"

"The old woman or the young?"

"The old. Like that part where she goes 'it's been eighty-something years..' or, uh, something."

"You hardly remember the movie."

"I haven't watched it in ages. Leonardo DiCaprio is scary."

"What? Why?"

"I think he stares into your soul. I don't really wanna have him drawing me like 'one of his french girls' or something."

"So you do remember the movie."

"I can recall bits and pieces here and there."

"I find it curious that you remember the french girls scene more vividly than anything else."

"I see a lot of scenes more vividly sometimes."

"Like what?"

"The part where Jack dies." _Oh, thank God._

"They could've both survived on the raft and everyone knows it."

"It's for the entertainment value."

"Is french girls for entertainment value? What are they like?"

"What do you think they're like?"

"I don't know. The first thing I'm thinking of is bagels."

"Why bagels?"

I paused to think about my answer, "I think I'm just hungry."

"So when you think of french girls, you're hungry?"

"Without content, this conversation would be very sexual, I think."

"Do you want to end it?"

"No." I decided, "I still wanna talk about bagels."

"We were never talking bagels."

"Are we gonna talk about bagels now?"

"If you want to." Natsu laughed.

"I don't see the problem. Are bagels sexual now?"

"I don't know. Depends on what you think of it. Do you think bagels would be lesbian, bi, transgender or gay?"

"I think bagels would be that cool friend who's straight but supports everyone."

"Bagels sounds like me."

"Who said you were cool?"

"Jack Dawson."

"Is that a pun because he died because of the cold or something?"

"Not sure."

I glanced outside the windows; we were nearing the North Wing train station. I spotted a glimpse of the Koharu City park—the biggest and most well known. It had always been a mystery why it was situated in the North Wing out of all places. But I had never complained about it.

Natsu groaned, making me face him, "This conversation is making me hungry."

I thought for a second, "I've been hungry ever since I got out of school."

"Bagels are cool." he protested suddenly.

"Are we doing Jack Dawson references again?"

"No one other than us right now would be able to trace back the connections of Jack Dawson and bagels."

"That somehow sounds deep."

"A degree in bagelism."

"That sounds like a cult."

"The one and true religion."

"Imagine if all our lives we've gone to churches, done wars and killed each other just for bagels."

"Maybe the world would be a more peaceful place."

"This conversation would be really intelligent if we were talking about the right subjects." I commented.

A peaceful quick silence, it was only three minutes before we arrived in the streets of the North Wing.

"You know what we should get?

"Bagels?"

"Bagels." he confirmed.

"Did we just quote a really popular book?"

"Maybe bagels will be our always."

"This friendship is escalating."

"At least we are self-aware."

"I didn't like the book."

"Why not?"

"I don't like books about cancer or anything where a main character dies."

I paused, half of head was still snuggled beneath my scarf. "Neither."

Natsu exhaled then grinned. We had finally arrived and the train came to a stop.

"Bagels?"

"Bagels."

And we strolled out of the train, laughing.

 _I'm sure the local bakery is still open at this hour._

* * *

 **This is my most favourite banter, like, ever. I haven't even watched Titanic since ages. Thank you for all the support and the advice! All the reviews really do mean a lot and wow, you guys make me blush. I understand that this chapter had a bit more detail; it won't really be all like that now. There are some chapters that'll have more depth but I never want anything to stay too serious. Like I said, I'll always be sprinkling spices of stupidity everywhere, just like I do in real life. A lot of writers do have the problem of balance between serious and lighthearted and I'm no exception. Tell me what mood of the story you prefer in the reviews if you can and we'll see what happens from there!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Iridescent; (adj.)_ _Showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles._


	10. Petrichor

We passed by the local bakery down the street from my apartment. Natsu hadn't been able to contain his excitement; almost springing up and down as we entered the deliciously scented building. We ordered our 'always' whilst laughing; visibly bewildering the bakers as they handed the brown bag of ringed deliciousness. Before I knew it, bagels in near-winter evenings became a heavenly event and I promised myself firmly in my head that I would try to partake in such event as much as I could.

We exited out of the building; Natsu insisted we 'swagger' out in celebration of our friendship.

"What the hell does it mean to swagger?" I asked the pink-haired boy as he continued to whine. I gripped the brown bag of bagels in my hand. _I wanna eat these now._

"It just means to look cool. We need to walk out of this bakery like it's exploded." This statement caused a confused look from one of the bakers behind us.

"Why do we need to look cool exiting a bakery at nearly 7pm?"

"I already said; it's a declaration of our friendship."

"We don't need to swagger out of a bakery to confirm our friendship."

"I wanna."

"You sound like a kid who's Mom won't goddamn buy him a toy."

"You don't even need to buy me anything, you just need to walk cool."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Look, just pretend you're in a mafia and you just went on a stealth overdrive and blew up a building, so now you're walking away from that building with shades on."

"We don't have shades on."

"We can pretend to have shades on."

"No."

"It's for a good cause."

"Like what?"

"Snoop Dogg?"

"Natsu, I'm walking out of this bakery normally." And I began to stroll, but a certain hand gripped my arm to stop me.

"Please, Lucy." he pleaded.

"You are so serious about this."

"I know."

I sighed, "What does the swagger look like?"

 _This better be fuckin' worth it._

In the most horrifying series of events, Natsu backed up a few steps, shut his eyes and exhaled dramatically; he opened his eyes suddenly and began to strut whilst also flailing his arms around in some kind of direction. He continued to walk until he reached the glass door. After what I could only interpret as his catwalk, he turned to face me; eyes glittering with excitement and pride.

 _Honestly, what the fuck._

I looked him in the eye, "That was the most horrifyingly ridiculous thing I have seen so far this year."

"It was glorious." he preached to himself, " _I_ was glorious."

"And you can keep being glorious. Just leave me out of your glory."

"Why do you do this to me?"

"Because it looks like something Oprah Winfrey would refer in her show as a disease."

"What?"

"Is it mean to be attractive? Is that what you male species have concluded?"

"It's an inspiration and I don't know how you can't see that it is."

"Natsu, if some guy walked like that in a street, I'd be like; 'that's a hobo'."

"That's discrimination against hobos."

"Then make it a hobo who's done crimes all his life without any regret and constantly bullies kids by taking away their ice creams and scaring them."

"Can you please just do it before we get into some deep conversation about hobos?"

I sighed and much to my own surprise, stepped back myself. This excited Natsu, who followed. We stood side by side, preparing to do the inevitable.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Neither can I."

"Does this mean we're hobos?"

"Hobos with bagels."

"That's _totally_ improved."

"Your sarcasm levels are raising."

"I'm so glad that our friendship has escalated enough for you to detect my sarcasm levels."

"At least we're self aware."

"This is the most terrible thing I've done in my entire life."

For a second, Natsu seemed to paused. Then he suddenly gaped at me.

"I just realised we need some dramatic music." _Oh God._

I sighed, deciding to go along with him in defeat, "Right, what do you have?"

Natsu pulled out his phone from his back pocket, "I have Kanye West's Life of Pa-."

"No."

"I have Taylor Swift's Blank Sp-."

"No."

"..I have Jason Derulo's "Whatcha' Say?"

I paused, knowing beforehand I was going to regret my words. "..Okay."

Natsu grinned wildly; this entire ordeal was his life achievement. "Okay, I'm going to forward it to the part where it goes 'Mmmh, whatcha saaay..', so we really get the momentum."

"Jesus Christ," I face-palmed, "Okay, let's just do this."

Natsu pressed 'play' on his phone; the loud chorus of the well-known song filling my ears. After a dramatic exhale, Natsu initiated the first step as I followed, rolling my eyes and trying desperately not to even think about what the bakers were thinking of us as they watched. We both flailed our arms around ridiculously and I found it in my lowly self to actually pretend I was wearing shades as Natsu instructed. Strutting to the glass door, I held in a laugh. _What the fuck is actually happening?_

Natsu burst opened the door, raising both arms up as he exited. I followed his actions as I stepped out, cringing at every movement. The song was still on blast.

Natsu stopped the music as we both finally emerged out of the building, he looked up from his phone then at me with the widest grin his face could evidently carry.

"We were glorious." he laughed finally, as if he had been meaning to the whole time. I stared at the pink-haired boy for a moment before realising that I had my own laughter held in.

And so I let out my laughter for the whole world and Natsu to hear.

"Natsu?" I finally said after we began to settle.

"Yeah?"

"Let's eat these bagels."

* * *

Natsu and I strolled through the Koharu City park despite that it was evening. We ate the bagels with a fair share; two each with two more to spare. The park was quite minimalistic; nothing extravagant like huge fountains, huge playgrounds or massive sculptures. It was plain and classic grass and trees—oaks, maples, birches and willows—with the tiny exception of a few wooden benches and dirt paths; it was pure earth and I preferred it. A rather odd but perfectly accepted addition to the park happened to be cherry blossoms; no one knows how the city managed to grow them but no one complains about it.

As the winter approached, none of the blossoms had yet to bloom. Yet the very fact excited me for the time when they did.

"This place can hardly be called a park." Natsu commented as he chewed on his bagel.

"I know. Is that a bad thing or a good thing?"

"Nah, it's a good thing. It's just pure land."

"With a sigh that says 'Koharu City Park'."

"Do you care about it?"

"I'm not sure. I think I like it just being pure earth. Not a lot of parks do that nowadays."

"We make everything a deep conversation, don't we?"

"At least we're self aware."

"That's my line."

This was when the pink-haired boy spotted a wooden bench—one that was perfectly situated beneath an unbloomed cherry blossom. _Conveniently cliche, but I'm not complaining._

"A bench!" he yelled, gaping at it like a kid.

"Yes, a bench." I confirmed.

"Let's sit on it!" he continued, yelling excitedly.

"I don't know why you're exclaiming all of this."

"Oh, c'mon!" he excitedly grabbed my arm to drag me to his beloved bench. I contemplated on arguing against it, but eventually decided to merely laugh—letting myself be dragged by his childlike innocence.

So as we sat in the wooden bench.

"This is a great bench," he commented all of a sudden as I sat beside him, "I like this bench, we should adopt this bench."

I laughed, "Do we need adoption papers?"

"No, we can just chant some random spiritual shit around it to make it our own."

"What?"

He paused for a moment before saying, "Or we can beatbox some spiritual shit, if you want."

"No." I laughed before shoving my hands in the brown bag, pulling out two bagels and handing to one to the boy beside me—who said a quick 'thank you' before munching happily whilst humming to himself.

I sat peacefully as Natsu continued to hum what I believed could only be a well-rhythmed song.

He finally ended as I stared at him—happily content as he continued to chew on his bagel.

"That was pretty. What was it?"

"A french song."

I widened my eyes, "Unexpected, for someone who apparently has Kanye West's entire new album."

"I visited France a year ago—they really like their love songs."

"All countries like their love songs. What was that one?"

"Edith Piaf, or however you say her name." he grinned, "A song called 'la vie en rose'."

"Charming. You're a pink-haired traveller who has Kanye West's new album but also likes old french songs."

"How do you know it's old?"

"I think I've heard of the name Edith Piaf before. She died, didn't she? A great french singer or something."

"Yep," he confirmed, "She's apparently amongst the greatest french singers."

"Or the greatest. I think I've even heard covers of this song before."

"It's pretty popular. But the original I like the most. It's slower."

"Charming, charming, charming." I chanted before laughing and taking a bite out of my own bagel.

"This has got to be a pretty cliche thing." Natsu commented suddenly.

"What is?"

"We are beneath a cherry blossom and sitting on a bench right now whilst it's sunset."

"The only thing out of place is the bagels and the fact that we are constantly finding ways to talk about french women."

"You think Jack Dawson would draw Edith?"

"Not naked hopefully."

Natsu grinned, pausing from eating his bagel, "I really wanna do cartwheels right now."

I laughed, cocking an eyebrow, "Uhm, okay. Go ahead?"

As if he needed my permission, Natsu eyes lit up. He quickly shoved his bagel in my hands and took off, running to a near distance and jumping excitedly on his feet. Much to my amusement and probably confusion, he began to do cartwheels—laughing wildly as he did.

"Lucy! Look!" he exclaimed as he did another.

I only found it in myself to laugh and say, "Beautiful."

"I know!" he agreed, grinning, "Aren't I?"

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling, "Sure."

And Natsu continued to do cartwheels as I watched him—sighing wistfully and chewing my bagel.

We departed with each other's phone numbers after that. Natsu declared that he recognised the street and knew a way back to his apartment. We took in a little bit more banter—ranging from french girls, to more bagels and declarations of the next locations for the next 'swagger'.

Eventually, I waved goodbye to the pink-haired boy as he took off.

I strolled back to my apartment with a grin unconsciously occupying my face.

A sudden ringtone blasted from my pocket in the middle of my walk back.

I pressed 'recieve'.

"Well, hello." I greeted cheerfully.

"Hola!" she greeted, "You sound happy."

"Hmm, I just ate bagels."

"Guess what we just did yesterday?"

"Something dangerous?"

"We were bungee jumping in Arizona!"

I laughed, "Figures. I swear the school has way too much money for its own good."

"You bet." she laughed, "Hey, you really do sound happier."

 _I wonder if it's because of the bagels or because a pink-haired boy had just done really happy cartwheels in front of me._

I flushed slightly, "I don't know about that. I've still got an essay to mountain through."

"Just throw them out."

"No."

"Your demise."

I laughed, "I'm on my way to kicking new asses of new kids in Magnolia."

"Are you? Good girl."

A pause. I could tell she was outside.

"I have to go. You stay a good girl, okay?"

I chuckled, "I will."

And she hung up.

I walked in silence after that, opting to peacefully reply to texts. I entered my apartment with the realisation that it was the happiest I had ever felt whilst doing so. I fell to bed that night earlier than previous times, with no notice of the laptop perched on my duvet with an unfinished essay draft inside. My mind revolved only around local bakeries with bagels before my eyes began to shut close as the earphones gradually fell off.

I dreamt of cartwheels and french bakeries afterwards.

* * *

 **I'm so tired. But nevertheless, chapters are still coming up! I would like to address a few guest reviewers because ahh, you make me blush hard.**

- **fairyofsouls - All of your reviews seriously just brighten my day! I mean every review brightens my days by 10x but yours never fail to get me to smile and blush and ahh, thank you so much. It's always nice to have some feedback so thank you very, very much!**

 **-Kanye West - Thank you so much! There is a ton of Donald Trump and Kanye West references in the story, I know. They are just such easy targets for me when it comes to writing hahahah.**

 **-irlcarly - Thank you so much for your early review. It was so heartwarming and I believe it's one of the reasons I decided to continue the story even furthur!**

 **-Kleia - The shifted personalities are seriously hard to believe even for myself sometimes, but I just love my Juvia, so that's all that really matters. Hhahaha, thank you so much for your review!**

 **And to everyone else, thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Petrichor; (noun) A_ _pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather._


	11. Amethyst

I woke up the next day slightly dazed.

The usual chorus of the familiar song filled my room with rhythm. _I need cereal. I need milk. I need a bowl to put both in. Oh, and I also need my dignity._

Juvia's voice always woke me up. "Wassup vodka princess!"

I chewed the inside of my cheek briefly before yawning and raising an eyebrow, "..Are you drunk?"

"What? No."

"What the hell was that then?"

"What the hell was what?"

" _Wassup vodka princess?_ "

"What's wrong with 'wassup vodka princess'?"

"Everything."

Juvia decided to turn away from the current topic, "So, how was the train ride between you and Natsu?"

I paused before replying; scrunching my nose and rubbing my eyes. "I'm gonna ignore any sexual hints you put in that question and just answer that it was okay and that we went to the local bakery afterwards." _It was actually more than okay and it was the only cure towards my essay syndrome but I'm not gonna mention that._

I pulled my bed sheets off of me, stepping towards my wardrobe. _I'm gonna eat breakfast today, and I'm going to remember that I've eaten breakfast because what the fuck was honestly going on with me yesterday._

"Sounds good. I'm gon-fuckin hell Gray, will you please put your fuckin' shirt on?"

I bit back a grin. "Are you on the train with him right now?"

"No, but we're just about to get on and the dumbass is whining about how it's too hot and now he wants to take off his shi-I SAID PUT IT THE FUCK ON."

That's when I hear the familiar voice in the background, "Let me live my life, woman!"

I laughed, "I don't know how the hell you deal with him for such a long time."

"Neither. The fucker insisted we get broccoli last night so I hit him with the broccoli that we didn't get."

Another whine in the background, "We didn't even need celery!"

Gray and Juvia lived in two seperate apartments—only a few blocks away from each other. But that didn't quite stop them from pretty much being forced to do everything together; their grocery shopping included.

"I'm gonna ignore you and never give help you with science homework if you don't put on your fuckin' shirt." Juvia declared as I continued to slip on a pair of black leggings and eyeing my usual trench coat and boots. _So excitingly fashionable._

"Fuck you!" Gray could be heard yelling.

Juvia seemed to whip her attention back to the call as she said, "He'll come around; he needs help in science."

"You guys sure are feeling civil this morning."

"Aren't we always?"

* * *

I scanned my texts whilst walking to the train station—fortunately less frantic than the previous day.

 _Juvia is being mean life hurts. - Gray_

 _So tired from helping Sis last night. How did you go with your essay? — Lisanna_

 _Do you have the third book of th-_

I paused reading in the middle of Levy's texts as I spotted the head of atrocious pink hair; he stood waiting for the train with a blue coat on and staring straight at his phone, one hand shoved in the pockets.

Natsu immediately spotted me—almost as if he suddenly felt my presence—and grinned. I strolled over to the pink-haired boy, sighing.

We stood in peaceful silence for a small amount of time. It wasn't quite the awkward silence where anybody knows what to say or do, and it wasn't the dead quiet where there was so sound at all—in fact, the birds could be heard faintly chirping and there were gusts of wind that rustled that leaves ever so slightly.

I let the silence last before finally saying, "Morning."

"Good morning."

We let the silence fill in once again before he shoved his hand in his shoulder bag and pulled out a familiar brown bag. _Anya's Bakery Delight._

Silently, he pulled out two freshly baked bagels, handing one to myself as he already began to chew his.I smiled and gently took the bread as if it were an artefact.

We stood together, chewing our freshly baked morning bagels as the Koharu City South Wing train arrived.

I'm not quite sure but I remember thinking the freshly baked bagels in the morning tasted even better than the evening—or maybe it was just because Natsu was the one who payed that time.

 _I can get used to bagels in the morning._

* * *

It is less silent after that.

"Those cartwheels gave me an headache last night." Natsu whined.

We were seated beside each other in the train, happily munching off the last of our bagels.

I scoffed, "You were the one who suddenly wanted to do cartwheels."

"It's for physical health."

"Good to know."

"I almost watched Titanic last night."

"Wonderful. Why 'almost'?"

"Because it was late and I fear of not waking up early."

"What the hell? As a teenage adolescent; that's criminal."

"I'm already criminal for my good looks. I don't need to actually go to jail. The cops are already trying to find me in Las Vegas."

"You know, you're really scaring me; if it were any other person I would've passed that off as a joke but for someone like you who probably did travel to Las Vegas.."

Natsu laughed as I trailed off, "No, Lucy. The cops aren't actually looking for me in Las Vegas."

"If they were actually, it would've have been for any good looks."

He pouted, "That's mean, Luce." _Luce._

"You're welcome." I didn't quite mention that he was actually quite good-looking and rather cute; quite attractive considering the lovely self-tanning techniques he was using.

"You look a bit more awake today."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Is that suppose to be an insult?"

"How?"

"Was I practically a zombie yesterday then?"

He laughed, "I only said you look more awake today. What does that say about yesterday?"

"That I looked like hell yesterday."

"You just looked a bit tired."

"Physically or, like, facially?"

"I don't know..emotionally?"

"Emotionally?!" I repeated, nearly yelling. _Thank God there is practically no one on this train._

"Oh God, I don't know!" he continued to laugh, "I don't seriously know!"

I huffed.

He stifled a laugh, "I wasn't trying to insult you!"

"Well, you did!"

"You female species are complicated."

"Says someone who forced me to do the 'swagger' yesterday."

"That was cool as fuck and you know it."

"Your definitions for 'cool as fuck' is fucked."

"That's mean, Luce." he chuckled.

"Pleasure."

Thinking about Natsu's own resolve to not sleep in, I remembered my own reason for being able to doze off early. _Oh, right._

 _"La vie en rose."_

Natsu didn't quite hear as he whipped his head around, "Hm?"

I laughed and sighed; the certain french singer's voice began to fill inside my head and I fought the pure urge to hum the delicate melody.

"I like the original much better too." I nearly whispered, leaving the pink-haired still confused.

That's when a certain ringtone of mine rang. I grabbed my phone then suddenly realised that Natsu's phone was also ringing. Bewildered, we both answered our phones with the same confused expression.

Natsu was first to say anything first, "Hell-"

"CALL THE POLICE, CALL THE POLICE! NATSU, FUCKIN' HELP ME!" the familiar voice exclaimed.

"Gray?"

Juvia's voice suddenly came up from my phone, "Gray is a dumb fuck and I'm murdering him."

Gray's voice turned frantic, "CALL THE POLICE, CALL THE POLICE, CALL THE POLICE. OH FUCK IT, ACTUALLY; JUST CALL SWAT."

The sound of hurried footsteps from running on the concrete could be heard clearly. _Juvia was once the captain of track and field._

"Gray, shut the fuck up, what is going on?" Natsu managed to say in the midst of his friend's screams.

I turned to my phone, "What the fuck is going? Are you doing what I think you're doing? Juvia?"

Natsu turned his attention to me, "What the fuck is she doing?"

"What Juvia does best." I grinned. _Gray must've fucked up bad._

"I FUCKED UP! I FUCKED UP! I SHOULD'VE JUST-FUCKIN HELL-WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T I JUST THROW ON A FUCKIN' SHIRT! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK. GOD PLEASE BLOODY HAVE MERCY. NATSU FUCKIN HEL-"

And the phone hung up.

Juvia's voice came up eventually from my phone.

"We'll be late for class. Tell Mrs. Vermillion that Gray says to bring lilacs for his funeral."

"Will do." I laughed.

And the phone hung up.

* * *

 **Wow, wow, wow, Gray's in deep shit. Take a guess what's happening in the reviews below; there _is_ a hint of what Juvia is currently doing to him in the _previous chapters_ hahahaha. **

**Anyway, this story arc will be ending soon! I won't jump straight headfirst to a more serious tone until I really feel like everything is in place; as I've mentioned; I do plan some more serious chapters. But I never stay serious so don't worry too much about that.**

 **One more thing; I'm so, so, so sorry, but I might not be able to update two chapters today! It'll depend if I end up finishing the draft of Ch 12 but considering the time left I've got, I'm unsure. God, I am tired.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and all your reviews are lovely and brighten my day my 100x.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Amethyst; (noun) A precious stone consisting of a violet or purple variety of quartz._


	12. Zeal

The train arrived early.

Natsu and I stepped off, meeting Levy and Lisanna in the front steps.

"Lucy," Levy called out, "What is going on? I just got a call from Gray and Juvia was.."

She trailed off as I laughed. "I'm pretty sure Gray fucked up pretty bad this time."

Lisanna sighed, "It's been two months and didn't he declare he wasn't going to get it a second time this year?"

"Why did you believe him?" I scoffed.

Lisanna paused for second, " _Why_ did I believe him?"

"I'm still confused." Natsu blurted out.

I chuckled, "You'll see later."

"If they actually end up in school, that is." Kagura piped up from behind Lisanna, she and Minerva were carrying Erza by the waist

Kagura continued, "We just got a call from him. It sounds almost like she's exorcising him."

"What happened to Erza?" I asked.

"She started ranting really late last night and slept in so we had to drag her here." Kagura explained.

"It's hard to believe she scored highest in both science and maths sometimes." Lisanna commented.

"It's hard to believe a lot of us score highest in subjects, y'know." Kagura chuckled.

"Like Gray." I added, thinking about the boy scoring highest in the arts.

"Especially Gray." Lisanna corrected firmly.

Gajeel emerged from the hallway doors, "I just got a call from the dumbass and I'm pretty proud of the rain woman."

"You're always proud when she gets mad at Gray." Levy cocked an eyebrow.

"It'd be great and probably funny if I knew what the hell this was about." Natsu sighed and darted his eyes around for clear answers.

I sighed, "Remember when Juvia was talking about pouring bad alcohol on you yesterday?"

And I watched in amusement as the pink-haired boy's eyes grew in realisation.

* * *

Alcohol-pouring is one of the many hobbies of Juvia Lockser. It wasn't exactly the most enjoyable either; it required people to piss her off to an extensive level and whilst the part where she scared the hell out of said people she thoroughly enjoyed, the part where she was pissed off wasn't exactly as relaxing.

This was all a little self-explanatory when within the fourth period—English class—Gray and Juvia arrived gloriously to the classroom. And Gray looked, smelled and apparently felt like hell.

Gajeel was the first to laugh at the sight in front of the class; "Gahahaha, what the fuck happened to you, Ice Princess?"

Gray threw a book he had held at Gajeel, who briefly dodged, "Shut the fuck up, Gajeel!"

But in the back of the classroom came a laugh even louder—and harder—than Gajeel's; Natsu was choking out laughter like air—he clutched his stomach and he was actually crouched down the ground and _crying_ from laughing. It wasn't a small liquid dint in the eye, he had pure tears running down his cheeks.

Gray grimaced, "Fuckin' hell, this sucks."

Juvia hollered behind him, "You know what fuckin sucks? You not listening when I tell you to put your shirt back on!"

"Do you know that I almost fuckin' called the police?" Gray yelled.

"I probably have connections with the police anyway so it would've been useless." Juvia scoffed.

"You know, she probably does." Levy sighed, glancing up from her paper and at Gray.

"God Gray, you actually need a shower so badly." I told the boy in front of the class.

"Well, no shit!" he barked, and I knew that he didn't meant to sound mean or yell, it was just that he had been poured with probably an entire bottle of terrible alcohol and so clearly, he wasn't having such a nice day.

"It isn't my fault you were being a dumbass." I argued.

"This entire week has been fuckin' terrible for me." Gray sighed.

"Actually, this entire month has been terrible for you." Lisanna corrected, not looking up from her paper.

"Maybe even the whole year." Levy added.

"Fuck." Gray sighed as Ms. Vermillion sat in her chair, eternally smiling.

* * *

Natsu didn't stop mocking Gray until the last period, when Juvia eventually threatened to pour him a new one if he didn't shut up. Gray slid in a smirk towards the pink-haired boy. We were taking the route towards outside the building; one that allowed us to pass through Yukino's and Erza's class so they could join.

"I cannot wait until that look is smudged off your face permanently, flamebrain." Gray told Natsu as everyone once again strode the hallway.

"And I can't wait for you to take a shower." Natsu retorted.

"It doesn't wear off for weeks." I informed the pink-haired boy.

"Seriously?" he then widened his eyes, "Wait, how do you know?"

"I'm no stranger to the torture. Believe it or not, I've been through some shit."

"She poured alcohol on you too?" Natsu said in disbelief.

"Two years ago." Juvia recalled easily, "She was a test."

I sighed, "I contributed to pioneering it."

"Why?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow, grinning.

I scrunched my nose, "I've been asking that question for two years now, I doubt I'd be able to give you a clear answer any time soon."

"So you just literally agreed to let her pour a bucket of alcohol on you?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, fuck."

"I know."

"One of these days, I'm probably going to wake up with the smell and I think 'fuck'." Gajeel muttered.

I grinned then turned to glance at Gray, "Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you eating chicken nuggets?"

"Cause he's a hungry and whiny dumbass who wants to have a reward for dealing with my bullshit." Juvia sighed.

I cocked an eyebrow, staring at Gray, "..Translation?"

"Y'know me and that woman," Gray began as he held a nugget in his hand, "We safely make proper friendship procedures; if she pours a bottle of bad vodka on me, she has to buy me some KFC."

"That is not proper friendship procedures. It's not even normal friendship procedures." I argued.

"Well, I thought we would have passed that thought by now," he muttered as he chewed on a nugget, "I mean, who the fuck pours bad vodka on anybody? Let alone my sexy ass."

"The fact that you still manage to compliment yourself despite the fact that you had just gotten an entire bottle of terrible vodka poured on you is both impressive and fuckin' horrendous." Juvia commented.

"There is not a day I won't compliment every part of the masterpiece that is my body." Gray argued.

"The future looks fuckin' bleak." Juvia sighed, alongside Levy and Lisanna.

"Fuck you."

Natsu and I laughed at their antics until we arrived at Class 5A's door.

"And here comes the breakfast club." Gajeel sighed as Erza, Kagura and Minerva emerged out of the classroom; all three conveniently tangled up in knots of punches and curses.

"You gave me the wrong answer in Biology!" Erza screamed as Kagura restrained her.

"Nobody's perfect." Minerva argued.

"Why are you two morons arguing about this like there's a right or wrong?" Kagura yelled, "You both cheated!"

"It wasn't even a test anyway." Erza sighed as she allowed herself to calm down.

"Who done what to who today?" Levy asked.

"Minerva gave Erza the wrong answer in a Biology paper and now the world's gonna end." Kagura explained, glancing at the two who were handing each other death glares.

"I wonder how the second breakfast club is going if this is how far you three have gone." Gajeel chuckled. And as if on cue, Yukino and both Sting and Rogue emerged from their classroom—just a short walk from Erza's classroom—all screaming at once.

"And the entire school fuckin' thinks 5B is the worst." Gajeel commented.

"No one in the class even gives a fuck in 5B anymore. Not even Ms. Vermillion." Juvia muttered.

"Has Ms. Vermillion ever even gave a fuck in her entire teaching career?" Gajeel asked to no one in particular.

"I think if there was a brawl going on, she'd honestly get excited and make bets on the winner." I chuckled.

"Oh God, we have fuckin' brainwashed her." Juvia face-palmed.

"Aren't we just great kids?" Gajeel laughed.

"I love us." I sighed happily.

"I love us too." Juvia cooed.

"I hate all of you." Gray stated firmly as he continued to chew his chicken nugget.

* * *

Tuesday proved itself busy with Yukino and the guys declaring that they had to study for a test in the library, Gajeel and Levy apparently scheduled for a date, Erza and the girls having to embark on dangerous grocery shopping journey—much to everyone's dismay and cause of having the police and ambulance on speed dial, and Lisanna having to work another shift with Mirajane due to the cafe having even more customers during the winter.

This—once again—left Natsu and I to embark on our own journey to the bakery.

We stood outside the building—having already gotten off the train early—and we were both happily chomping on some bagels.

"What's with everyone so busy today?" Natsu asked.

"Hmm," I chewed a piece of the ringed bread, "I suppose we're all just busy. Yuki and the boys might be dangerous together with their antics and all, but they are incredible students in their own area."

"I feel like everyone is like that in Magnolia."

"I suppose it can't be helped that the school is prestigious."

"Are you all just top secret geniuses disguising yourselves as a bunch of idiots?"

"That'd make a great movie."

"Who'd be the star?"

"Hmm. What do you think?"

"Obviously me."

"Who would you be playing?"

"Probably that guy who is actually an idiot, but disguising as a genius."

"That would not work; he'd have to be an actual genius to pull off that role."

"Well, smarter for me then."

I laughed, "This movie would make millions."

"And win a shitton of awards."

"Teens Choice Awards?"

"Nah, I'm thinking Golden Globes."

"You'll be the Leonardo DiCaprio of the era."

"I don't draw french women."

"You can draw french bread."

"I'd be famous and make millions off dramatised portraits of bread."

"Sexier than naked ladies; bread everybody." I grinned; _I can take notes from Juvia's handbook any day._

"Hasn't it always been sexy?"

"You'll be the Leonardo DaVinci of the era."

"What is with me and Leonardo?"

"Which Leo?"

"I don't know?" he chuckled, "The sexier one?"

"Well, I don't know, DaVinci could've been sexier than a mug and no one would know."

"Hidden beauty. Tragic." he faked a weep.

"Are you saying that you have hidden beauty?"

"Are you saying that I'm DaVinci between both Leonardos'?"

"I'm saying we should watch movies at my place." I proposed, and I realised in my head that if it were any other guy, I would've stuttered. _I just invited him over to my place for movies. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuc-_

"I'm saying we should go rent some movies first." he grinned.

And my grin was wider than my face could practically occupy.

* * *

 **Just go and forget that whole thing I wrote last chapter about me not being able to update two times; here's Ch 12! This will be quick. I'll add in one more nalu chapter; namely the next chapter, and then after that we're gonna escalate somewhere else.**

 **Schoolwork is all going well except for maths, which sucks.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Zeal; (noun) great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective._


	13. Ineffable

Modern day kids with Netflix on their iPads or iPhones might say movie rental places are getting old. I generally didn't have much of an opinion on the heated debate until Tuesday of February when Natsu and I entered 'VideoEzy'; our conquest of films that can spark interesting conversations that may or may not involve french women particularly strong. And whilst teenagers, kids and probably adults preferred the convenience of Netflix, Natsu Dragneel seemed to prefer running up and down alleys of hundreds of DVD's, catching different titles, laughing heartily, and upon spotting it; constantly joking about _Fifty Shades of Gray—_ all jokes connected to his black-haired friend.

We looked like kids in a playground; particularly laughing at the children's section where we ironically picked up _Shark Boy and Lava Girl, Sky High, Underdog, Meet the Robinsons, Bee Movie_ and after ten minutes of laughing hard enough to scare both the cashier and a few fellow kids, _Shrek._

On a much girlier note—not that it really bothered Natsu as he was apparently curious to learn the ways of the female species—we also picked up _Mean Girls, Clueless_ and _The Cinderella Story._

And we decided to finally pick up the last DVD after ten minutes of knowing glares and laughter. _Titanic_ was perched neatly in the 'Classics' section, waiting to be picked up by the right idiotic duo.

We headed to the counter to check them all out; receiving confused looks from the counter lady. Natsu insisted on buying fairy floss.

"This is the childhood dream." he declared, holding up the plastic bag of fairy floss.

"Why do we need that?" I asked as the lady handed the bag of DVD's.

"We have goddamned _Underdog_ in that bag"—he pointed to the DVD's—"and you're asking why we need fairy floss?"

I chuckled as I took the bag from his hands and placed it on the counter, briefly handing the lady five bucks. She handed me change as Natsu grinned.

We began to stroll out of the building; I led the way to my apartment. "This is so childhood-esque."

"I know!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly.

I chuckled then turned to stare at the pink-haired boy, "I have a fuckin' terrible confession and you have to not scream."

"Okay. I can do this. Go ahead, I'm ready for anything." he shuffled around aimlessly as if he was prepping for a boxing match.

I laughed, "Okay…"

"Go on."

"..I haven't watched _Meet the Robinsons_. Like, ever."

I wasn't quite surprised as Natsu nearly tripped on the concrete and began to scream hysterically.

He faked a cry, "You poor, poor child."

"I know."

"Where did your childhood go wrong?" he continued to wail.

"I know."

"Life must be so hard." he dramatically pulled his hands to his heart.

"I know."

"You're gonna encounter some manly tears tonight." Natsu sighed, looking above the sky dramatically.

"Okay."

"Which reminds me; I've actually prepared for something today."

"Don't tell me it's a swagger."

"It's a swagger!" he grinned.

"Fuck."

"Look, I've searched around my apartment last night and found these." he shoved his hands in his backpack and pulled out two pairs of shades. _Oh God._

"Horrendous." I grimaced at the pair he handed to me jokingly.

"And I searched last night for a remix of 'Whatcha Say'." he switched open his phone, showing me the track excitedly.

"Oh my God."

"Put it on! Put it on!" he ordered as he put on his shades, gesturing for me to do the same. I sighed and in what I could only describe to be the most horrendously impactful moment of my life, I slipped on the shades myself as the evidently remixed version of 'Whatcha Say?' boomed from Natsu's phone.

He began to do the swagger yet again and I followed. We walked side by side; shades on and dignities lost whilst flailing our arms around.

"This is fucking ridiculous," I laughed, "You're fucking ridiculous."

Natsu grinned, facing me, "You know what that means? You're fucking ridiculous as well."

"We're fuckin' ridiculous." I stated.

"Yes, we are."

Natsu switched opened his phone once again, heading to a familiar app.

"Bro, this is going on my story." he declared, holding the phone up for what I realised was a selfie.

I sighed and laughed. Natsu and I leaned a little closer to take the photo; we both held up one hand in an ironic peace sign and grinned.

For that moment, the sun that once disappeared behind the clouds peeked through as Natsu pressed to take the photo. It came out wild and yet so full of life—as if the photo was emitting the same happiness I was feeling; a photo of two people wearing shades and holding up hand peace signs ironically, both grinning like the world didn't give a damn.

"Amazing." he breathed out as he saved it to his Snapchat story for what seemed like the whole world to see.

I couldn't hold in my laugh.

* * *

Natsu stopped strolling as we almost passed by the familiar convenience store.

"This is it." he breathed out, staring dramatically at the building.

"What?"

"I just realised in the midst of all my awesomeness that we need to get some fuckin' food." he entered the building hastily, leaving me to sigh and follow him. _Why hello there wallet, I'm very sorry that this pink-haired dude is trying to erase you from existence right now._

As we entered, Natsu leapt into action; running through the alleys of food as he did in VideoEzy. I laughed and decided to go along with it; following the pink-haired boy through various unhealthy snack sections.

Within only five minutes, Natsu managed to hold two bags of M&M's, many bags of Doritos, two bags of liquorice and for some reason, he also picked up one instant beef noodle cup. I only managed to pick up a few lollies and following his sense of spontaneity; an instant chicken noodle cup.

"Why do we have noodle cups?" I asked the pink-haired boy as we walked to the ice-cream section.

"Variety. You know, like, a sense of diversity." he explained dramatically as he faced me, his shades still on as well as mine.

"Real avant-grande."

"Might as well be in Coachella." he grinned.

We reached the ice-cream section.

"Fuckin' hell." he groaned, staring at the various amounts of ice cream laid before him.

"What?" I glanced at him.

"The ice cream section is always, like, super intense."

"I get what you mean. What are we going for?"

"What are you feeling?"

"Feeling avant-grande."

"Cookies and cream then."

"You understand me." I sighed, putting my hand on my heart.

"Of course, C and C is always hippie."

"They might as well be at Coachella."

Natsu held up two ice cream containers; both from different brands.

He held the one on his left hand a little higher, "Low-key cheap Coachella tickets sold from drug dealer avant grande?"

He then held the one on the right higher, "Or Calvin Harris V.I.P meet up with Kylie Jenner avant grande?"

I thought for a second, "I'm thinking V.I.P."

Natsu put back the first container and sighed, staring at the stylised container of cookies and cream ice cream in his right hand, "This is, like, fifteen bucks."

"Drug dealers get you in prison."

We ended up splitting the bill.

* * *

We arrived at my apartment; Natsu complimented everything; from the apparently 'modern and sophisticated' living room interior decorating, to the 'minimalistic' kitchen.

"You look lovely today, table." he complimented the low wooden centre piece in the middle of the living room.

We were both seated on the couch; drowning in both pillows and food. The TV was on and the unused DVD player had finally took its spotlight.

"Please stop flirting with my table." I glanced at the pink-haired boy who held his grinned, "You're making her feel uncomfortable."

"How?"

"She already has a boyfriend; lamp is not happy."

"Lamp can fuck off."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Lamp is thirty bucks and is from Target. He does not need to fuck off."

"Why do we assume lamp is a guy?"

"You, Lamp and probably Oprah Winfrey can have a deep discussion about his sexuality later, _Bee Movie_ is waiting for us."

"I'll fucking show Lamp.." he grumbled as he chewed off the tip of his liquorice, eventually turning his attention to the TV.

The yellow and black colour palette of the film kept my eyes glued until the end of the movie.

* * *

"Natsu, shut up." I repeated. It was the fifth time.

In what seemed rather intense, Barry, a bee in the movie, alongside a shitton of other bees had found a way to carry an entire plane in the most dramatic series of events that involved awareness of the environment; which seemed to make it even more funnier.

Natsu did not take this lightly; from the moment the scene had fallen into place, he fell into fits of

laughter, choking out blurred words in his outburst.

"How the-how the fuck?" he nearly yelled at the screen before cocking his head back to laugh once more.

I sighed, "Shit."

* * *

"That movie is so uncomfortable when it comes to the bee and human aspect." Natsu commented as the end credits rolled on.

"You can't say anything bad right now, you cried laughing at the ending."

"How the fuck does a horde of bees carry an entire plane?" he chuckled.

"Magic and alternation of logic." I answered as I shoved a handful of M&M's down my mouth.

"You know what's even further and better than magic and alternation of logic?" he grinned.

"Hm?"

" _Shark Boy and Lava Girl._ "

* * *

This time I cried laughing.

 _Shark Boy and Lava Girl_ was funny the minute I saw Lava Girl's pink hair; I continually teased Natsu about their similarities throughout the whole film. Natsu only groaned and slapped my face weakly with a liquorice.

The movie ended with my laughter accompanying the rolling end credits.

"You just would not shut up about this." the pink-haired boy beside me grimaced.

"Are you gonna visit your cousin, Lava Girl, after this?" I teased.

The pink-haired boy only muttered angrily whilst shoving Doritos in his mouth as I laughed at him.

 _Sky High_ relaxed both Natsu and I; it produced laughs from both parties and much to Natsu's happiness, no one's hair was pink. The movie also did not go without distractions; Natsu and I continually posted pictures on Snapchat during fight scenes, and at some point, Levy called to ask about an english test.

"That movie was Golden Globes worthy." he declared as the end credits rolled on.

"I don't have to check on Rotten Tomatoes to know that it probably scored pretty low."

Natsu checked on Rotten Tomatoes to laugh anyway.

* * *

Underdog received commentary about animal cruelty and a quick rant from Natsu about if he were a superhero, he'd choose _fire_ abilities.

"That's great, Natsu. Now shut up." I told the pink-haired boy, gluing my eyes to the screen. The goddamned dog was flying.

"But seriously, man? Who wants to just fly? You can do that on a airplane!" he threw his hands up in the air, "What about you, Luce?"

This took a little bit of my attention as I whipped my head around from the screen to Natsu, "Hmm, I don't know. Something, uh, I don't know? Maybe something heavenly. Something to do with the stars?"

"You intend to become God?"

"Sure?"

"What would you do with the stars?"

"Gee, I don't know? Sprinkle some star powder on some grilled cheese sandwiches?"

"Your sarcasm levels are rising."

"Lovely."

"It just hit 85% just with that one line."

"Great."

"90%"

* * *

 _Shrek_ takes dozens of comments from Natsu and I about the movie's memes. At some point, Juvia decides to call, it was already 6pm by then;

"Hey." she weakly greeted.

"Well, that's different." I said as I lightly slapped Natsu on the arm, giving him a glare as he tried to finish off the second pack of Doritos. He briefly whined before angrily chomping off a piece of liquorice. _I'm getting the last of the Doritos and that's fuckin' final._

"What's different?"

"Your greeting."

"What about my greeting?"

"You greeted me with fuckin' 'wassup vodka princess' this morning and now you just said 'hey', what's happening?" I asked firmly.

"You know me so well." Juvia sighed, "Do you know who's pissing me off right now?"

"Gray?"

"Gray."

"What the fuck did he do now?" I asked as my eyes looked onto the screen in front of me, yet my head didn't quite focus on anything of what was happening as Natsu continued to fume about his long-lost Doritos.

"Actually he's right here in my apartment right now." Juvia explained, "He fuckin' called me literally five minutes ago going off about some pot plant lost in his apartment and now he's here looking for it and making a mess."

"Wow."

"It's probably at Gajeel's but I insisted that he just look for it more intently at my place because Lord knows Levy and Gajeel need a date without Gray interfering about something Gajeel stole from his apartment."

The familiar voice came yelling from the other side of the phone, "Juvia! I have to fuckin' find my plant! Sylvia!"

"Just look around more! I probably took it home with me some night or something!" Juvia hollered at him.

"Who's Sylvia?" I asked.

"His pot plant's name."

"What the fuck?"

"He's very emotional towards plants these days, I heard Sylvia's sister, Merina, is getting worried as fuck."

I laughed, "You're so sweet to Gajeel and Levy."

"Fuck yeah. I set those two up and I don't need a pot plant getting in the way of future marriages and the potential of me scoring Maid of Honor, do you know how fuckin' stressful it is for me?"

"Uh-hm, totally stressful."

"What are you doing anyway?" she asked.

"I'm at home. Natsu and I are watching movies."

A brief pause, "Right."

I cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Nevermind. What movies are you guys watching?"

"We're watching Shrek."

"How lovely."—a brief pause with jumbled words from someone on the other side, "GRAY, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY PANTRY RIGHT NOW!"

Natsu heard this, "Who needs to get out of who's pantry?"

"Gray." I faced the pink-haired boy.

After a short pause and a quick scream from the other side, Juvia's attention turned to the call, "I have to go. He's going to ruin my pantry, my dignity and if I find the goddamned pot plant at Gajeel's, I'm going to throw it in the river."

"That's nice."

"Ciao." And she hung up, evidently to scream at Gray.

"They sure are civil." Natsu commented.

"Aren't they always?"

* * *

 _Mean Girls, Clueless_ and _The Cinderella Story_ equaled to a blurry three hours of laughing, eating, David Attenborough level commentary and repeat.

Mean Girls was a particular favourite for Natsu and I.

"And here—" he paused to laugh—"is the great extinct species called the wannabe Regina George."

I laughed, we seemed awfully drunk, "Dangerous and fearsome mammals whose prey is mainly on pedicures and Chanel lipgloss." I added.

Natsu continued for me, "$60 Chanel lipgloss, and on tough seasons, $45 Chanel lipgloss."

I continued to laugh, "God forbid it encounters it's predator; the acne breakout or even worse, the non-thigh-gap."

This earned a little bit of Natsu's attention, "What the fuck is a thigh gap?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like; a gap in the thighs. Really mainstream; girls want it."

"Why?"

"I hear it makes you look more attractive? I don't know."

"Do you have a thigh gap?"

I knew for a fact that I didn't, "Nope."

"Do you want a thigh gap?"

"I don't really care."

"I guess thigh gaps aren't really all that cool if you don't have it, Luce."

I wondered for a second about what he meant before saying, "I think girls shouldn't really force themselves to care about it; I'm pretty sure they look fine with one. Doesn't make you smarter or anything."

Natsu laughed then nodded; opting to continue the David Attenborough commentary.

Natsu looked intently at Gretchen Weiners on the TV, "The Wannabe Regina George likes to indulge itself in hunts before the coming winter seasons; it's favourite habitat to find prey being the local mall."

"Watch out Forever21."

Natsu and I continue to laugh normally until the bus scene, where Natsu spat out apple juice and choked, laughing hard enough to cry yet again.

 _Clueless_ sparked many interests in Natsu. Cher, in fact, turned into a favourite character of his from the very moment he saw her.

And as for the shocking Christian-is-gay scene, it wasn't too harsh on the pink-haired-boy, who suspected it from the moment the character arrived.

"This movie is, like, so ahead of its time." he commented towards the end.

"It's a great movie. Very feministic, I think. Cher rocks." I agreed.

"Cher always rocks."

"You are so attached to her."

"She does great things for the environment. I aspire to become like her."

"Maybe you'll get there."

"If only she were interested in superhero fire abilities."

"Maybe."

* * *

 _The Cinderella Story_ happened to amuse Natsu and I greatly in terms of a side-character accompanying the female main, who in our opinion deserved all the spotlight; Carter Ferell turned into our hero. No offense to Hillary Duff and all. At some point, we had prepped our noodle cups; Natsu happened to change his mind and like the chicken noodle cup better after a quick taste of mine, and I liked the beef noodle cup better after a quick taste from his. We switched noodle cups hastily whilst continuing to discuss about our favourite side-character in the history of side-characters.

"That guy is my inspiration."

I hit him lightly in the arm, "He's _everyone's_ inspiration."

"I aspire to become like him."

"I thought you aspired to become like Cher?"

"Cher can go and get lost in the mall, I have a new precious."

* * *

The most vital last two were a staple, although it caused Natsu to have to stay until 10pm.

Meet the Robinsons—the only film I hadn't watched previously amongst all—was a silent and emotional wreck for both of us.

At that point, Natsu and I had huddled just a little closer; we were fighting over the tissue box. Maybe we could've done David Attenborough commentary or maybe Juvia could've called again complaining about Gray, but the hour or so watching Meet the Robinsons remained silent, undisturbed and frankly, terribly heartbreaking. Natsu and I devoured the fancy ice cream easily as the movie passed by; we had actually fought over it too but when the future family hadn't accepted Louis in for logical reasons, we both came into a halt and actually began to cry.

"Natsu." I whispered.

He was unresponsive and for a second, I thought he was asleep but that didn't seem right as I heard the sniffles.

"Natsu." I said louder.

No response yet again.

"Natsu!" I repeated, this time firm, clear and loud.

Natsu decided to whip his head around, "What?! Can't you see—" he gestured angrily towards the screen"—that goddamned Louis just got rejec-"

He must've saw my face at that point because he instantly stopped to stare; I was full-on crying, literally with tears running down my cheeks.

And in turn, I managed to spot his own face in the darkness; he had tears rolling down his cheeks as well, his eyes were puffy; he looked like his Grandmother just died.

I had to pause the movie for us to stop crying and calm down.

Natsu doesn't stop crying until the end credits began to roll.

* * *

At some hazy point in _Titanic_ , I had collected a blanket large enough to cover both Natsu and I. We were emotionally drained, tired and the ice cream was all gone.

 _Titanic_ —like _Meet the Robinsons_ —remained undisturbed and silent, despite the fact that it was the very movie that sparked many conversations between both of us. At least we made an effort to engage in tiring banter as the movie went on; featuring a young Leonardo DiCaprio.

"Ah, there he is." Natsu nearly whispered, staring at Leo, "My fuckin' hero."

"Is he staring into your soul right now?"

"He's not just staring into my soul; he's also staring at, like, my large intestine."

"Your large intestine must hold secrets."

"Hell yeah it does."

A few steamy scenes between Jack and Rose received David Attenborough commentary.

"And here," Natsu whispered intently, but loud enough for me to hear, "is the great Jack Dawson and Rose, making love like they just hadn't meet each other yesterday."

"Natsu, they did meet each other yesterday."

"What?"

"Are you even watching the movie?"

"I'm pretty sure my brain will turn on when the french bread scene goes up."

"You mean the french girls?"

"Bread, girls; same thing."

"Right."

At that point, we were dangerously close; Natsu's head was almost leaning against my shoulder and in various moments of the movie, I wondered how soft his head of atrocious pink hair was. He was awfully sleepy and so was I; the dread of the school morning, having to wake up early and the essay should've panicked me but it strangely didn't at all.

Natsu barely stayed awake, even when the french girls scene eventually goes up.

I tried my best to keep my eyes open as well; I was failing.

"Yo, Natsu." I managed to choke out.

A brief pause before a reply, "Hm?" _Was he just sleeping then?_

"The, uhm, french—what is it?—french bread scene is, like, here." I stared at the screen, although my mind was jumbled into various angles and I couldn't concentrate and frankly, my eyes were commanding to shut close and Natsu's body was awfully, awfully close. I wondered if Saint Cecilia approved.

"Hey.." he began, he sounded as if he was trying to add concentration to his tone but it was failing, "..This isn't french bread."

I sighed weakly, "Of course, it isn't. He's trying to, like, uhm, draw or something."

A brief pause; I realised that he was trying to stay awake, "Fuckin terrible. I can so draw better." he slurred.

I laughed weakly, _what time is it?_

"Sure you can."

* * *

The goddamned Titanic was beginning to drown and the ship was apparently filled with water now, but that was all I could conclude other than the fact that Jack Dawson was in some deep shit and running around the water.

Natsu's head had finally rested against my shoulder; if I had been fully awake, I might've cared enough to do something about it or blush or be girly and nervous about it, but I was half-awake, trying to process the events of the movie with a brain that was no longer functioning well enough.

To top the fact that Jack Dawson's chances of life was clearly zero, Natsu's scent invaded as his body got awfully, awfully, awfully close and for some dumb reason, I wasn't doing anything about it other than pick up a bag of Doritos and weakly shove a handful of chips in my mouth as the pink-haired boy's head leaned against my shoulder patiently.

Natsu's carried a sweet scent; as if he picked up all the scents of the lollies and it emitted from him. I found it a big distraction from the movie.

Natsu's head of atrocious hair was gently placed on my shoulder, my brain was commanding a shut down and Jack Dawson and Rose's chances of survival was off by my quick calculations.

* * *

The end credits rolled and Celine Dion's voice was recognisable but I did not know what she was saying; in fact, I was pretty sure at the time that she was just slurring. I weakly grabbed the remote to shut the TV off. The room was in pitch darkness but I was—dangerously or non-dangerously?—engulfed in _someone's_ body warmth, but my head wasn't functioning and I had no idea of who was next to me; the only thing on my mind was that Jack Dawson died and that the lady—I think—threw the goddamned necklace into the sea. Maybe she kicked it like a rugby ball, but I wasn't processing anything well so maybe she baseball-style threw it.

 _Who is lying next to me again?_

Suddenly his scent got familiar and I realised—briefly and weakly—that Natsu Dragneel was in my apartment; leaning awfully close to me and to top it off, we were sharing an enormous ironic leopard print blanket. His skin met mine. _Great, just great._

I wondered about the person who's head was leaning against my shoulder for a moment, although I only got around to one-word conclusions; _laughter, pink, happy, kind, funny, swagger, ice cream_ and to my surprise; _cute_ and _attractive_ found its way into the basket at some point. I didn't take too much notice of them, considering I was half-awake and opting to force fully-awake Lucy to panic over it. I stored my one word conclusions in file #35; _Things I can't process now, but can and will panic over later._

The head of hair was too soft. My eyes only met pitch black, but I could subtly make out the outline of the person. I wondered for a second if I had the right to touch the hair, but the dangerous wave of 'yolo' passed through me and I found myself weakly running my fingers through his soft, pink hair. Even though it was messily pulled in a low, short ponytail, it was still softer than any hair I had ran my hands through.

 _Fluffy._

Calm, it was all so calm. But between the touch of his skin, the many bags of Doritos almost drowning us and the fact that Saint Cecilia didn't seem to have any objections towards anything; there was only one command my head could process—it was actually the _only_ command left for me to obey.

And so after a short period of my hands running through his hair, I finally allowed the simple task of lying my head against the head of atrocious pink hair. He was long dozed off and I was simply too tired for complicated mind calculations on whether or not it was a good idea to allow such intimate contact. _Not that this is bothering me. Literally the opposite._

There were reasons why I shoved the thoughts in file #35 but I opted not to think of them as my eyes gradually closed.

* * *

File #35 was a dangerous piece of my mind. It was also one of the most powerful. Dangerous and powerful seemed to be very intimate with each other these days.

The files are easily accessible when the time calls for it, but when the time doesn't; it's no where to be found. Hence why it's so dangerous. There may be a file #35 for you, there probably is. File #35 does have a purpose; although it's a very blurred one. Those files either reappear at the worst times or the best times; you just have to pray for luck. Otherwise, file #35 doesn't leave traces—it's a detective's or forensic scientist's worse nightmare—and instead of searching for it, you never look for it at all.

You forget it. You willed yourself to.

* * *

My eyes flickered open.

 _What is the time?_

There was a head on me, there was also a bag of chips on my lap, but I was more concerned about the head.

 _If I can remember correctly, I'm at the couch and my phone is right-_

Remembering the location of my phone, my hand reached for the device and I hastily switched it on; the bright screen somewhat surprising my eyes. There was still a head leaning against me.

 _2:00am._

What was a head doing leaning against me at 2am? I briefly turned the phone's screen in front of me to find some clues; it looked like I had a Doritos fiesta.

My brain suddenly clicked on; _ah yes, Natsu._

 _Natsu, Natsu, Natsu. Yes, Natsu with the pink hair. The one who handed me shades to swagger with him. Yes, Natsu. Right, why are you leaning on my shoulder at 2am?_

Pieces of the puzzle weren't meshing well together until I spotted the Titanic DVD case. _Ah yes, Leanardo DiCaprio drowned and froze in the water._

 _So why is Natsu leaning against my shoulder at 2am?_

I quickly decided to just force the puzzle pieces to mesh together, despite the fact that I was aware there were missing pieces. I quickly pulled a portion of the blanket off me and hastily got up, leaving Natsu's body to fall fully on the couch. I smiled weakly at the sight of his gentle slumber; he looked even more like a kid when he was asleep.

I pulled a little bit of his body for him to fully lay on the couch then I tugged and pulled the blanket to cover his body. He looked harmless with very little energy; he looked like a little kid taking an afternoon nap with a ridiculous leopard print blanket.

I slowly collected my thoughts enough for my legs to familiarise itself with the direction to my room; I took a quick change of clothes and gradually fell to bed. The last sight I saw was the can of Monster perched on my bedside table.

I did not dream of anything that night, instead I wondered why it felt like there was more than puzzle pieces missing.

* * *

 **I'm so tired; this is the first chapter in a while to pass 2,000 words! Ch 14 is already under wraps, and I'm so, so excited to publish 14. I think it might be another one of my favourites.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Ineffable; (adjective) too great to be expressed in words._


	14. Corybantic

The alarm rang.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. And why am I having the aftertaste of an instant beef noodle cup?_

I swiftly got up and realised it was pouring outside. Juvia called almost instantly.

I pressed the receive button, yawning as I did.

"Hey." she greeted.

"What's up?"

"Life sucks."

"That's nice. What happened?"

"Fucking Gray happened."

"That's nice as well."

"What happened to you?"

"..I don't know." I weakly answered as I slipped on a pair of jeans. My trench coat was missing. _Where the fuck are you, you little shit?_

"..Same."

"I'm pretty sure I actually got to bed last night, what the fuck happened to you?"

"Gray fuckin' dragged me to everyone's houses to look for a fuckin' pot plant, we stayed up until 3am at Erza's and Kagura's because the dumb shit was convinced they had it. Do you know I have a fuckin' shift right after school today?"

I realised in the midst of her explanation that my trench coat was in the living room, "I gotta go. Don't kill anyone on the way to school, okay? Not even Gray."

"Gray's at Gajeel's and Levy's."

"What?"

"Or actually, he's probably been kicked out or something. After Erza's and Kagura's, he went over to Levy's and slept in front of their door to interrogate them when they got home."

I hastily pulled my hair into a ponytail, my hand being the only tool to smooth out my locks.

"Don't you have a key to Gajeel's?"

"Who the fuck lets Gray into their house?"

"You."

"Oh. Right."

"Have fun not murdering people, darling. Ciao." I hung up first.

I headed to my living room to find—in my utter horror—Natsu lying on the couch with a dozen or so bags of Doritos surrounding him. He looked like he had performed a Mexican spiritual ritual.

I swiftly ran back to my room to retrieve a pillow and went back to the living room. _I am so sorry, Natsu._

Walking to the couch, I began to hit him harshly with the pillow. I wondered why hitting someone was so therapeutic.

"Natsu! Get the fuck up!" I yelled.

"Uh-hmm." he grumbled.

I hit him harder, "We need to get to fuckin' school! Hello! Magnolia Academy! Cafeteria! We have english first period!"

"What?" he slurred, although his eyes weren't quite opened yet.

"YO! WE NEED TO GET TO FUCKIN' SCHOOL."

He only continued to mutter things in his ongoing slumber.

I sighed, "They're selling cheeseburgers at the cafeteria today."

His brain seemed to wake up at the mention of food as his eyes instantly shot up, although commands probably weren't focusing well as he got up only to fall to the carpet.

"What's happening? What the fuck is going on?" he managed to breath out.

"We need to get to school. Like, right now."

'What time is it?"

"7:50."

"Fuck."

* * *

Natsu—I learned—takes very little time to make commands in his head. From the minute his brain seemed to process the words 'school' and 'late', he jumped up and quickly fixed his hair whilst eyeing his bag perched on one of the living room chairs. He didn't seem to mind the fact that he was wearing the same clothes he was wearing yesterday and slept in. He swiftly located his wallet, coat and his dignity to take with him to the train.

This all lead to two idiots running in the streets of the North Wing to the train station in the rain. My trench coat was flying against the wind and my hair tie was taking a deja vu route as it began to evidently slip off as we took the necessary turns outside to get to the North Wing train station. I wondered why I wasn't panicking, I wondered why I wasn't cursing about the fact that my hair was now fully out and drenched, alongside my clothes. I wondered why the cold didn't seem to bother me whilst I ran with a pink-haired boy to the train station. I seriously wondered why I was laughing instead of losing my head and not overthinking things I should be overthinking. I wondered if this was all Natsu's doing.

All the wondering was making my head twist, and I turned to stare at my companion; he wasn't giving a damn either, he was laughing harder than me.

"You know," I began, "We really should be panicking right now."

"I know!" he yelled.

"We have a shitton of work to do in english today."

"I know!"

I grinned, "I've never ran with somebody to the train before this fast."

"Same!"

"This is great for blood circulation!"

"I know!"

"Jack Dawson died!"

"I know!"

"The lady threw out the fuckin' necklace!"

"I know!"

"..I thought you didn't remember the movie much?"

A brief pause. The sound of our running footsteps on the wet concrete could be heard, "I like to make sacrifices to make conversations with you!"

That threw me off by a mile, the words weren't processing well, but I forced it to. Instead of blushing like I had expected myself to, I only found myself laughing.

"Thank you!"

Even in the pouring rain, the pink-haired boy grinned, "You're welcome!"

"We're so late!"

"I know!"

"We're drenched!"

"I know!"

"We should've bought my umbrella!"

"I know!"

It was my turn to smile. I couldn't help it.

"This is fun!"

"I know!"

* * *

English period was the least thing I was worried about as we entered Magnolia Academy after getting off the train where we had received looks from various other humans.

Lisanna strolled to us in the hallway, although slowly because I was pretty sure I looked like I was in the mood for murdering with my clothes all drenched alongside my hair.

"What happened to you two?" she asked, but it was all self-explanatory. Gajeel's laugh could be heard behind her.

"Shut the fuck up, Gajeel!" Natsu yelled before I could answer.

"Look at him!" Gajeel hollered at the sight of Natsu, "Drenched as fuck!"

I turned to Lisanna, not quite caring about the upcoming verbal brawl between Gajeel and Natsu.

"The rain was heavy in the North Wing. We had to take sacrifices."

"You're drenched!"

"I can see that."

"I'll see if I have some spare clothes today for you."

"Thank you so much."

At that point, Juvia had decided to emerge from the front door into the hallway.

"Waddup motherfuckers!" she yelled, earning looks from almost everyone in the hallway.

"Happy tone but also looking like she's going to murder someone. She's most dangerous in this state." Lisanna observed the blue-haired girl.

Juvia continued; "If anybody wants to speak to me, I will be anywhere you usually find me, but I will also be most likely murdering people!"

She strode the hallway angry, frustrated and with a plastic bag in her hand.

"Good morning." I greeted her.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill somebody if you don't give me your phone right now and a pair of earphones."

Lisanna cocked an eyebrow as I pulled my phone out of my bag, handing it to Juvia, "What's this about?"

"Pride and Prejudice audiobooks."

"What?"

"It calms her down. Enough to not kill people. I should be worshipped for helping other people not get killed." I explained to the white-haired girl as Juvia silently slipped on the earphones.

I briefly wondered what's in the bag before realising and smiling at the blue-haired girl.

 _She can be so sweet sometimes._

* * *

Gray arrived late in english class by half an hour—not quite surprising anyone in the process. Instead of ranting like he usually did, he only sat in his seat glumly. Everyone in the class was either sitting down and finishing work or standing up and conversing. Juvia stood up, sighing and walking over to the black-haired boy who had his face planted on the desk in agony.

She pulled a pot-plant from the plastic bag.

"Here, you dumbass."

This earned Gray's attention and he nearly fell over as he saw the plant perched neatly on his desk.

He began to hug her waist in happiness, "Juvia!"

"Yeah, yeah." she sighed, patting his head, "Don't goddamn lose it."

"Those two seemed to have made up." Levy sighed, cupping her hand on her cheek and watching the two.

"They always do." I muttered.

Lisanna sighed, flipping a page of the book she was reading, "I'm giving Gray three days to lose a vase and piss the hell out of her."

I sighed, "I'm giving them two."

"A day and half." Levy said from the back.

"Twelve hours." Gajeel hollered.

* * *

Yukino and the boys seemed to have it harsh; apparently being assigned to many tests from classes.

"Lucy!" Yukino wailed as everyone strolled in the hallways.

"Yuki! What's wrong?"

"Help me!"

"From the boys or your work?" I laughed.

Yukino took this genuinely seriously, "Both, actually."

I chuckled, "I can't help you with any of your work! I don't know a thing about what you guys are doing!"

"Please Lucy!" Sting begged from behind me; he was strolling next to Rogue who was already reading from a book intently.

"What the fuck is gong on in 6B?" Gajeel asked.

"Teachers are bombarding all of us with tests. None of us had any sleep last night and we were kicked out of the library." Rogue explained, not quite looking up.

"We're sorry we haven't been able to go to FT." Yukino apologised.

"Don't worry," Lisanna eyed the white-haired girl, "We've been busy in the cafe and everyone else is pretty much scheduled anyway."

"Levy and Gajeel are just having dates though." Juvia added and from the corner of my eye, I could detect a slight blush on Gajeel.

Levy sighed, "At least we're not trying to get arrested like those three."

We all eyed Erza, Kagura and Minerva who were arguing whilst walking.

"Do you know how hard it is not to dial the police if those three are out and about?" Lisanna asked.

"I know exactly how hard it is not to dial the police when they're out in Kmart." I murmured.

"Especially since you did." Lisanna laughed.

I glanced at Natsu who had been awfully quiet, staring at his phone intently.

"What's wrong?" I asked the pink-haired boy.

He looked up from his screen, "Nothing. I'm, uh, just gonna be a little bit busy for the next two days."

Erza apparently heard this as she whipped her head around from Minerva, "You better show at Kagura's and I's no matter what!"

Natsu only laughed, "Yeah, yeah, I will."

"Don't piss us off by not showing." Kagura warned.

" _Please_ don't piss them off by not showing." Lisanna pleaded.

I didn't quite have my attention on the two as I stared at Natsu, "What's wrong? Does this mean we're not gonna have bagels?"

Natsu frowned sadly, "I'm sorry."

I laughed, but there was a sudden hitch to my heartbeat and it took me a moment to realise I was genuinely upset.

"Don't worry. I can soldier on."

"I'll treat you to some Anya's on Friday." he proposed, "I'll make sure to clear everything by then."

I grinned, "Bagels?"

"Bagels."

* * *

As everyone decided to once again cancel the usual FT Cafe meeting due to the lack of a good mesh of schedules—mainly Juvia and Gray having to deal with their respective clubs; the swim team and art club, Yukino and the guys having to study hard for many tests, Lisanna overworking with Mira and Levy and Gajeel taking more dates than usual—Natsu and I's train ride remained enjoyable, yet short-lived.

It bothered me for various reasons that he and I could not extend our time together as he had to apparently do work at his apartment; work I did not allow myself to ask about despite my curiosity raging inside my head.

I strolled back home; the rain was long gone but everything still remained damp and the sun did not do me the favour of peeking through the clouds.

I sat quietly in my apartment when I arrived; slouching myself on the couch. There was still a mess in the living room and there was still many, many bags of Doritos everywhere, but I could not will myself to pick them all up. The DVD's laid around everywhere, _Underdog_ found itself on the kitchen counter when Natsu had placed it as he had prepared his beef instant noodle cup.

At this point, a text suddenly came up from my phone. I glanced at the screen;

 _I'm sorry about not having bagels today — Natsu_

My lips curved at the sight of the words as I typed back;

 _Don't worry about it. Do what you need to do. Unless it's porn or something. Then no._

A minute passed before a new text message arrived.

 _I don't ignore bagels and you for porn. — Natsu_

I laughed then typed back; _That's sweet, in like a terrible way._

He replied briefly; _It's one of the things you'll love about me. — Natsu_

I didn't type anything back as I headed back to my room; quickly taking a change of clothes, falling to bed as I eventually opened the unfinished essay draft in my laptop.

Unlike previous days, the words I typed on the laptop came out naturally, without any complicated structure analysis or mind calculations.

I still wondered if it was all Natsu's doing.

* * *

The following days remained normal.

But normal didn't seem so appealing to me anymore; Natsu had been late for both Thursday's and Friday's train ride, and so we didn't have our morning train conversations that I had found myself starting to get used to. The occasional text conversations had occurred but it didn't quite beat face-to-face conversations with laughter and grins that could brighten anyone's day. For some unknown reason that also bewildered me, the weather had decided to pair up with my sudden mood as the days remained bleak with pouring rain. Natsu also didn't show for the train rides back home as he unfortunately had to engage in some kind of work in the city centre. He had apologised deeply and I had only said it was fine, but it still didn't change the fact that it took everything in me to erase all hints of disappointment in my tone.

The fact that my essay had been finished didn't seem to cheer me up. The fact that it had also received great praise from Ms. Vermillion—as sweet and endearing as she was—didn't seem to give me any real satisfaction either.

I headed home on Friday with a blank state in my mind and I opted to take a route home that prevented me from passing Anya's Bakery Delight. Natsu had missed the train ride home again.

I arrived home; tired, yawning and beginning to dread the next english assignment apparently scheduled to come up; a persuasive essay. The topic was still unknown but it only made me stress about it.

Lisanna had called.

"What is going on with you?" her voice was surrounded by others; she was evidently at the cafe.

"What are you talking about?" I was standing aimlessly in my kitchen, leaning against the counter.

"You've been off since Wednesday."

"I'm just..tired. And it's been raining. Like, way to ruin the mood."

"That's probably a lie, but I guess I can't say anything; I've been so stressed about the cafe lately."

"You should take a break. How's Mira?"

"Tired. Overworking. Still smiling happily like she's not tired and overworking."

I smiled, "Classic Mirajane Strauss."

"I think she's actually just missing Elfman."

I sighed, "Well, it has been a year."

"I miss him so much too, but the cafe is always busy in the coming winter."

"Well, Koharu is prepping for March."

I laughed, "We're gonna get busy by then, I guess."

"By the way; are you showing at Er-"

Lisanna's voice was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

"Hold on. I've gotta go. I'll call you back." I quickly breathed out as I headed straight to the door.

"Who is it?" I half-yelled.

"I don't know? Your average pizza guy?" the familiar voice replied and I laughed.

Containing all of my bottled happiness, I opened the door to find Natsu Dragneel—grinning and pink-haired Natsu Dragneel—standing in front of me.

* * *

I felt the strong urge to hug him.

A strange, strong urge to hug the pink-haired boy and I realised that I didn't have the energy or motivation to fight the urge.

"Hi." I breathed out.

He laughed and the very sound calmed me as it always did, "What's going on with you?"

This seemed to take my attention, "What?"

Natsu only laughed as we strolled to the kitchen. "You seem so..drained."

I shook my head, "No! I'm not. I've just been.."

I trailed off and Natsu took this as an opportunity to shove his hands in his bag and pull out a familiar brown bag. He grinned, holding it out, "You've just been hungry?"

"Yeah."

And so we ate the bagels as Natsu promised we'd do on a Friday.

As I finished my second bagel, the urge decided to come back. I didn't fight it at all. Natsu and I were leaning against the kitchen counter; he grinned whilst eating and his hair looked a little damp from the light rain and objectively, I could spot the bags under his eyes but non-objectively, he kinda looked amazing. It was happy Natsu who couldn't seem to stop grinning even if his life depended on it.

"Natsu?"

"Hm?" he paused from chewing his bagel.

"Can I hug you? Like, right now?"

He didn't seem to find anything wrong with this as he instantly grinned and shrugged, "Sure."

And with no real thought into it, I stepped in front of the pink-haired boy and in an instant, I wrapped my arms around his neck, slowly taking in his lolly scent as I rested my head on his shoulder. Just a little to my surprise, he had taken the opportunity to wrap an arm around my waist just a little loosely.

"Natsu?"

"Uh-hm?"

"You're still eating your bagel, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"I'm gonna eat my bagel as well." Even as my arms wrapped around Natsu, I held my bagel and took a bite; chewing whilst we remained in our hug.

We stayed in that position for while until we finished. Eventually, we fell out of the hug.

I cocked my eyebrow, "Where the fuck were you?"

"Somewhere over the rainbow."

"I'll give you three seconds to answer that seriously."

He only grinned, "I'll tell you one day."

I pouted, "That's mean."

Natsu chuckled, "Don't worry, you'd be the first amongst everyone to know."

I decided to turn away from the current topic, a sudden thought occurring in my head, "You know what?"

"What?"

"I feel like there's something we're forgetting."

A brief pause, "I feel the same actually."

My phone's ringtone blasted from the kitchen top. I hastily pressed the green 'recieve' button, pulling the device to my ear.

Juvia's voice was calm at first, "You're probably forgetting something."

This took my attention well, "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Because you did."

"What?"

That's when Erza's almost-demonic voice decided to answer, "GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE."

Natsu seemed to hear that as he momentarily dropped his phone in fear and realisation. I stared at the pink-haired boy. _What day is it? It's Friday. Right, Friday. Friday, friday, friday. The day we're suppose to be at Kagura's and Er-_

Natsu and I's thoughts finally meet as we stared at each other in utter horror. I—for one—knew that Erza did not like late visitors.

"Fuck."

I'm not quite sure who actually said it because Natsu and I had already dashed out of the apartment by then.

* * *

Taking the train ride to the South Wing, we found ourselves in the front of Erza and Kagura's apartment door; exhaling in exhaustion. We had ran all the way to the apartment building in fear. Karaoke music could be heard faintly from the other side of the door, alongside Sting's screams. _Probably getting exorcised by Yukino._

Juvia opened the door and sighed, "Jesus, you two could've been killed if I hadn't called."

"Thank you." I breathed out, still not quite out of exhaustion. It was nothing compared to Natsu, who looked like he needed to be dragged to get into the apartment.

"Come in, then." Juvia laughed.

I chuckled, finally looking up; no one was behind Juvia. _Everyone's probably upstairs._

Juvia strolled back inside the apartment.

"Natsu, come on, let's go." I glance at the pink-haired boy, momentarily tugging his jacket sleeve.

"Okay. Right behind you." he breathed out.

"Jesus, you look like you've just been through a marathon."

"I feel like it as well."

I laughed and stepped inside the apartment, knowing that the pink-haired boy was following close behind.

I had been at Kagura and Erza's many times to know where to go. They had the downstairs area—where Natsu and I were—where the kitchen and dining table resided, and they had the upstairs area where the lively living room alongside two bedrooms were.

Natsu and I forced ourselves to climb through the stairs; the sound of the karaoke louder with each step made.

We gradually arrived; meeting everyone's eyes. Yukino and the guys were seated on a few barstools that I knew were gifts from FT Cafe, and Erza and Kagura were seated on the couch whilst Minerva sat on the floor, playing cards with Levy. Gajeel was nowhere to be found.

"Finally!' Sting yelled out.

"Took you bastards long enough." Gray hollered; he was sprawled on the couch, holding what I knew to be a book of karaoke songs to choose from.

"Here," Juvia handed both Natsu and I each a bottle of already opened vodka, which I calmly took, "Let the games begin!"

"What?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow, already taking a swig of vodka. _Wow, you're already ahead of me._

I laughed, "You'll see."

"Not right now!" Gray protested, "I still have to fuckin' sing!"

Juvia frowned, "One song and then the games begin!"

"It's probably gonna be more than one song." Levy chuckled, looking up from her cards. It seemed like she was winning just from the sight of Minerva's frowns.

I began to settle in; taking a seat on the carpet as Natsu opted to sit on one of the barstools.

"Where's Gajeel?"

"He's gone off to buy some pizza down the street." Juvia explained as she sat next to Gray.

"Who the hell got him to do that?"

"Me." Levy informed as she took a card from Minerva's set.

"Bribery?" I laughed, finally taking a sip from the bottle.

"I'm very manipulative when I want to." Levy grinned.

"Where's Lisanna?" I asked, suddenly remembering my brief call with the white-haired girl earlier.

"She said she'll be here soon. She's just got to finish her shift with Mira." Juvia explained.

"We really need her." Sting commented.

"She _is_ our only alcohol restraint." Minerva laughed.

"Gray!" Natsu hollered, "Hurry the fuck up, I wanna sing next."

"Shut the fuck up, song decisions takes time and spiritual dedication." Gray argued.

"Spiritual dedication my ass." Natsu scoffed.

"I'll fuckin' throw the damn TV at you." Gray threatened.

"You're not fuckin' throwing any TV's in this fuckin' apartment!" Kagura yelled, earning a few laughs. I wondered how many drinks she had already downed.

"You smashed already?" Natsu grinned at Kagura.

"I don't know. But I already feel like hitting someone, so I guess I must be." Kagura muttered.

"Absolute zero tolerance." Gray chuckled, he stopped as the girl threw a deathly glare at him.

"I love it when you're mad at Gray." Erza threw an arm over Kagura and squeezed her tightly. I wondered how many drinks _she_ had downed.

"Hey!" Gray protested.

"Why?" Kagura asked the red-headed girl.

"You're doing my work for me." Erza answered endearingly; this backfired on her as Kagura only hit her face with a nearby cushion.

"I'm not doing any fuckin' work for you!" she yelled, earning laughs from everyone.

At that point, Gajeel had arrived, carrying a stack of pizzas.

"I'm only doing all this shit for Levy and nothing for the rest of you bastards!" he exclaimed, dropping the stack and heading for the couch. Everyone laughed as Juvia sighed and picked up the stack of pizzas.

"Pepperoni!" she threw the first box of pepperoni pizza at Sting's direction to share with Rogue and Yukino.

"We've got meatlovers." Levy declared, taking the large meatlovers box and quickly opening it, already taking a bite of the first pizza.

"Where's our fuckin' Hawaiian, Juvia?" Gray whined.

"Be patient, dumbass." Juvia glared then quickly took a box of Hawaiian pizza, throwing it at Gray who caught it in his hands excitedly. Natsu took a piece from Gray and Juvia's Hawaiian whilst I took a piece of meatlovers.

"Now for some fuckin' Whitney Houston!" Gray exclaimed, gripping the microphone.

"Gray, calm the fuck down, you haven't even fuckin' finished your pizza yet." Juvia told the black-haired boy firmly, but I knew her enough to know that she was grinning inside.

"I don't give a fuck. C'mon! Natsu!" Gray got up, holding his Hawaiian pizza with one hand and already earning a few laughs.

"What?" Natsu turned to his friend, "I'm fuckin' eating bro!"

"Yeah, well, I don't give a shit. Let's sing, you dumbass!"

Natsu liked this as he instantly got up, "Where the fuck is the second microphone?"

I laughed as Kagura handed Natsu the second microphone, "Show us what you've got, Natsu." she declared.

"They're gonna fuckin' be so terrible." Gajeel laughed, watching both boys.

"Says you!" Levy chuckled, then got up to sit next to him, gingerly placing a kiss on his cheek. Gajeel did everything in his power to have his blush remain hidden, I only smirked at his willpower.

"C'mon people! Where the fuck Whitney at?" Gray hollered, turning his head to face us behind him.

"Shut up, I'm trying to find the song's number." Juvia hollered back, then with the remote, she began to press a few buttons.

'I Have Nothing' by Whitney Houston eventually shot up on the screen.

"Awh yeah. This is the shit." Gray exclaimed, already putting his pizza up.

"He is way too fuckin' smashed already for this." Juvia sighed.

"Let's do this, bro!" Gray exclaimed into the microphone. The song's music was already beginning to come from the surrounding speakers and both boys were already swaying.

"You know this is my fuckin' jam bro." Natsu grinned, he held his bottle of vodka in one hand.

"Oh my fuckin' God." I laughed.

"What's with the 'bros'?" Levy raised an eyebrow.

The lyrics eventually appeared on the screen.

Gray was the first to take initiative;

" _Share my life, take me for what I am. Cause I'll never change of my colours for you."_ Gray sang, earning claps and laughs from everyone, " _Take my love, I'll never ask for too much. Just follow where you are, and everything that you do.."_

"Go Gray!" Yukino cheered on, accompanied by a few claps from Sting and Rogue.

Natsu seemed to take the pre-chorus as his spotlight, as he sang;

" _I don't really need to look very much further,_ " Natsu sang, " _I don't wanna have to go where you don't follow. I don't hold it back again; this passion inside, can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide."_

I laughed harder; Natsu's voice was actually rather pleasant—he was at least better than both Gray and Gajeel combined, so I gave him props—and he seemed quite passionate in his singing. I held up my pizza and bottle in a cheer, laughing as I did.

Gray sang the first few lines of the chorus quite passionately, " _Well, don't make me close one more door! I don't wanna hurt anymore!"_

Natsu sang the next line, " _Stay in my arms, if you dare! Or must I imagine you there?"_

Their singing had eventually prompted me to raise both arms and sway them. This was followed by everyone—even Gajeel—as they held up either a bottle or a pizza and swayed their arms or entire bodies to the music.

Both boys sang at some point, " _Don't walk away from me…I have nothing! Nothing Nothing!"_

Gray finished off the first chorus, " _..If I don't have you."_

Gray continued, " _Youu. Youuu. Youuu_."

This earned even louder cheers from everyone; Juvia had finally allowed herself to holler proudly at Gray's singing abilities and Gajeel's laugh was booming throughout the entire area.

"Their voices!" Juvia cried, "It's a beautiful collision of stupidity!"

"Just like all of us!" I laughed.

"I know!"

I realised that Natsu was set to begin the second verse;

"Go Natsu!" I cheered, my arms were still swaying almost aimlessly alongside everybody else.

"Hit the fuckin' verse!" Sting yelled

Natsu whipped his head around to face the blonde-haired boy, "I fuckin' will!"

" _You see through, right to the heart of me. You break down my walls, with the strength of your love."_ Natsu sang, hand on his heart dramatically _, "I never knew love like I'd known it with you. Will our memories survive, one I can hold onto?"_

Everyone continued to sway their hands left and right to the music. Suddenly, faint footsteps could be heard from the stairs.

Gray began to sing the pre-chorus; " _I don't really need to look very much furth-LISANNA!"_

Gray, alongside everybody else, whipped his head around to face the white-haired girl who held a plate of strawberry cake—much to Erza's excitement—and only laughed at the sight of everyone. The music was still on blast.

"Hey guys!" she chuckled, "Keep singing, Gray!"

Gray smiled then turned back to the TV, he had missed a line or two, ". _.I want it back again; this passion inside, I can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide! Your love I'll remember forever._ "

Natsu and Gray sang the entire chorus together, both dramatically pointing at each other as they held their microphones;

" _Well, don't make close one more door!"_ they passionately sang, _"I don't wanna hurt anymore! Stay in my arms if you dare, or must I imagine you there._ "

They grew louder and cheers from everyone grew likewise, _"Don't walk away from me; I have nothing! Nothing! Nothing!_

At this point, the arm-swaying, cheers, laughing had almost hit the minimum; Natsu and Gray had their hands around each other's shoulders. They kinda looked like they could've fell down any minute. Lisanna—despite having missed a few solid minutes—was already cheering loudly and laughing.

They continued, " _Don't make me close one more door! I don't wanna hurt anymore. Stay in my arms if you dare, or must I imagine you there? Don't walk away from me._ "

Natsu took a brief solo; " _No, don't walk away from me. Don't you dare walk away from me_."

They finally sang the last few lines together emotionally and uncontrollable with everyone's fanatical cheers in the background;

" _I have nothing! Nothing! Nothing! If I don't have you, you. If I don't have you, oh oh._ "

They finished and a euphoria of claps erupted, alongside louder cheers and Gajeel screaming to get them on 'The Voice, whilst Erza and Juvia screamed to get them on 'The X-Factor' instead. I only found myself laughing and occasionally taking a bite of my meatlovers pizza.

Both boys turned as their arms remained on each other's shoulders, Juvia was crying from laughter.

"That was fucking inspirational." Juvia boomed, holding her bottle of vodka high.

"Fuck, yeah. I sounded like an angel." Gray agreed.

"I sounded so much better." Natsu argued, he sat next to me on the carpet, abandoning the barstool.

"You both sounded fuckin' terrible." Minerva protested.

"But with the right amount of stupidity, it ends up becoming somewhat bearable." I added.

"Cheers to the dumbasses!" Juvia held up her bottle.

Everyone held up their own respective bottles or slices of pizza and yelled; "Cheers!"

"Who the fuck is going next?!" Juvia boomed. _She's way too smashed already for this._

"Let's fuckin' go!" Erza gestured to both Kagura and Minerva.

"What the fuck? No!" Kagura argued.

"I'll fuckin' sing all night if it means Erza doesn't have fuckin' cake." Minerva hollered, looking down at her cards.

"Well, fuck!" Erza exclaimed, plopping herself back down on the couch.

"Let's go, boys!" Yukino barked to Sting and Rogue, she seemed to have evidently taken a fair amount already.

Sting groaned, "Who gave Yukino more drinks than she can fuckin' handle, man?"

"You!" Kagura exclaimed

"Fuckin' hell." Sting slapped his hand on his forehead.

"People, can we please just fuckin' eat our pizza first?" Juvia sighed.

"Juvia, you told someone to sing just then." Levy cocked an eyebrow, grinning.

"I did?" Juvia said in disbelief of her own words, "Fuckin' sorcery."

I laughed, "Just put on a song. Nobody has to sing."

"It'll be soon enough that Gajeel starts singing and that's the actual time we're fucked."

"Ooh! Let's do a singalong all together!" Natsu suggested, raising his hands up like a child; although unlike a child, he was holding an already almost finished bottle of vodka.

"High School Musical!" Yukino agreed, cheering.

"Why does Yuki always love High School Musical when she's smashed?" Lisanna laughed.

"Zac Efron does wonders to the female brain." Levy calmly explained.

" _I_ do wonders to the female brain." Gray corrected for himself.

"You really do; we females constantly wonder just how stupid you are sometimes." Juvia retorted.

"That was not what I was going for."

"Fuck, I don't have High School Musical on my phone." Natsu declared, his eyes darting on the screen of his phone frantically.

"Who has goddamned High School Musical on their phone?" Juvia cocked an eyebrow.

"True. Somebody pick something else."

Erza's eyes shot up and she leapt on her feet, "One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful'!"

"What the fuck?" Gray laughed.

Minerva sighed, "You don't even like them."

"I know. The song just makes me crack up." Erza explained, grinning.

"You are so smashed already." Lisanna laughed at the red-headed girl.

"I do have an entire fuckin' album of One Direction on my phone for some reason, so I guess we're going with that." Natsu moved to press 'play' on the song, but was interrupted by Gray.

"We can't do a fuckin singalong now."

"Why the fuck not?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"I wanna do it yolo style. I have a vision that we can sing this shit with sombreros on at midnight." Gray explained.

"Where the fuck did that vision even come from?" I asked.

"I don't know, I came up with it just now." Gray shrugged, "And anyway, did you see the strain Whitney Houston did to my angelic voice? I need a voice break."

"Good to know, Harry Styles." Juvia rolled her eyes but continued to grin.

"I don't know where the fuck we're gonna be able to get a dozen or so sombreros, but I can put the song on a timer so it'll go off at midnight."

"Just wait till' midnight, bastards. I'm gonna be the reincarnation of however sang 'What Makes You Beautiful'." Gray protested, pointing a finger at everyone.

"The members of One Direction aren't dead yet." I laughed.

"They will be." Gray announced, "I'm gonna outsell them with my voice."

"Lord, I'm not in charge of getting him to his apartment tonight." Juvia muttered, staring at Gray who seemed to be having ideas of already standing on top of the centre table and making a speech about himself.

Juvia continued, "But speaking of getting smashed already..Natsu!"

The pink-haired boy turned his head to face to Juvia, he was gulping down a slice of the strawberry cake Lisanna was sharing around. "What?"

"It's time, boy!" she boomed happily.

"Good luck soldier." Gajeel hollered as he held Levy's waist.

"Wait, what is going on?" Natsu asked, I only grinned.

"Challenge thy Queen!" Sting yelled from the back.

"All the best luck, Natsu. We hope you survive." Rogue exclaimed to Natsu, who only remained confused, darting his eyes around everywhere. Yukino was already asleep on the carpet underneath the two boy's barstools with a blanket place neatly over her.

"Although, not really. Our money is counting on you losing." Kagura chuckled.

Minerva grinned, "You'd impress us deeply if you do win."

"But still, don't. Gray's gonna get rich if you win. So essentially, please lose." Lisanna smiled sweetly as she took the small plate of cake from the pink-haired boy.

"It's all about the spirit, Natsu!" Erza exclaimed excitedly, raising her bottle, "Survive! If you can! Even though you won't!"

"Seriously, what the fuck is going on?" Natsu repeated, his face had gone slightly pale and I felt the usual jab of guilt and pity. _The poor, poor pink-haired boy._

Juvia smirked then laughed, "HMVSCD doesn't operate without the likes of Queen _Heartfilia_."

Natsu slowly turned to stare at me; his face pale, his eyes widened and the bottle of vodka on his hand looked like it was going to drop. I could only smile at the boy in front of me, holding up my own bottle to my face in what I hoped to be an apologetically cute manner.

I grinned, "Wanna play with the Queen, Natsu?"

* * *

Gray was being held by the collar.

"Gray." Natsu almost roared.

"Okay, okay. Please, calm down just a lil' bit." Gray tried to protest.

"What the _fuck_ did you do?"

"I might've placed a bet on you. With Lucy." he paused but Natsu gestured for him to spit it out, "..On a drinking contest."

Natsu instantly dropped the black-haired boy's collar and groaned, "I'm so fucked."

"Look on the bright side; we can share the money?"

"Will you two grandmas hurry your goddamned soap opera and just get on with it?" Juvia rolled her eyes.

"You told them I could hold my drinks?" Natsu face-palmed.

"I'm just a poor, lonesome guy who sometimes loses plants in his house; I need the cash." Gray argued.

"You owe me your life after this." Natsu declared, sighing as he sat back down on the carpet, facing me.

"Okay, what the fuck do I have to do?" Natsu glanced at Juvia and everybody else who watched with amusement.

"Easy stuff," Juvia began, grinning, "Throughout the whole night, you just gotta try to drink as much as Queen Heartfilia and stay sober. That's it."

"Easy as pie." Lisanna laughed.

"And we have enough vodka to cover for it." Erza added.

"How many drinks have you had so far, Lucy?" Natsu asked.

I laughed, "Only one so far. You?"

"Same thing. I guess we're equal right now, then?"

Juvia grinned, "Not for long."

I chuckled and scooched over a little closer to Natsu, gripping my bottle a little too loosely;

"Trust me, Natsu; _not for long_."

* * *

The night only presented laughs after laughs with various events occurring almost at random; Yukino woke up after an hour—around 10pm, most likely—and began to lecture Sting, Rogue and maybe even Gajeel on the environment, Juvia and Gray sang their usual round of Florida's ' _Low_ ' with Juvia doing her drunken rapping, Gajeel and Levy stayed cute and committed to each other—all whilst hollering at everyone else when times called for it. Minerva, Erza and Kagura took a game of poker and it ended up with Erza nearly hitting the centre table at Minerva. I took a leapt of faith and sang Christina Aguilera's _'Reflection'_ from Mulan with Lisanna—we hadn't sang it all too properly because of various reasons; one being the fact that we were laughing too hard and two being the fact that Minerva, Kagura and Erza were swearing and hitting each other throughout the entire song.

And Natsu? Natsu's state did not stay sane for the night. So far in total, he had drunk around five bottles and he was on the verge of tears because of a conversation about the growth of trees he had with Yukino—from what Natsu had recollected; they were literally dying. I had downed around seven bottles and contemplating about whether or not I should read a book.

Eventually as the clock neared midnight, everyone—momentarily—found themselves calming down. Erza, Kagura and Minerva were sprawled across the entire carpet, Juvia's head was rested on Gray's knee—he was too smashed to care—and Yukino was lying asleep on both Rogue and Sting's lap. Gajeel, Levy and Lisanna were in some sort of conversation although I wasn't too focused on what they were saying. Natsu and I stayed on the carpet.

I turned to the pink-haired boy, "How you doing?"

"Wha-?" he slurred, "I'm-I'm fuckin' doing greeaaat."

I patted his head, "That's nice. Good boy, you did your best."

"Are cows mammals?" Juvia pondered, staring at the ceiling. She was too smashed to know what she was talking about.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Cows are obviously herbivores." Gray protested. He didn't seem to know what he was saying either.

"Aren't they, like, vegetarian?" Erza weakly proposed and Juvia laughed uncontrollably although I was sure she didn't know what she was laughing about too.

"Butterflies are mammals." she sighed, "Look at that, Gray!"—she pointed to the ceiling, and Gray took the effort to look up—"It's a butterfly!"

Gray tilted his head, "No, it's not. Where's the fuckin' butter then?"

"Nutella!" Erza suddenly exclaimed then sighed, "..I like Nutella."

"You like butter." Kagura slurred.

"No she doesn't. She likes jam." Minerva protested.

Juvia only smiled, "Look, Gray! It's another butterfly!"

Gray looked up yet again but smiled, "They're pretty."

"Butterflies are mammals. I know it. I'm smart, so I should know." Juvia nearly whispered, she was quickly dozing off.

"I still think they're herbivores, but whatever floats Juvia's boat." Gray muttered, his eyes were beginning to shut as well. Gajeel, Levy and Lisanna were beginning to be silent; they had run out of energy from the chatter throughout the evening.

I took a quick glance at the whole room; suddenly spotting something particular.

"What's with the wheelbarrow?" I asked no one in particular, pointing to the large object peeking from behind the couch.

Sting groaned as he opened his eyes just slightly, "..We're gonna carry Yukino with it tonight, or tomorrow morning."

"Why do you guys' have a wheelbarrow?"

"It was on sale." he murmured before dozing off again.

Natsu held his bottle loosely then slowly stared at me; his hair was a mess and his cheeks were slightly flushed and he struggled to grip his bottle as if he was afraid that the minute he'd drop it, he'd lose.

Essentially, he _would_ lose but that didn't come off as a real surprise even from the beginning; there was only one individual who could beat me in terms of vodka in Koharu and that individual was on the other side of the planet.

Natsu eventually unconsciously dropped his bottle, only for me to catch it. His entire body fell on the carpet as he laid peacefully. I laughed, eyeing the pink-haired boy already dozing off alongside everybody else. After a few minutes of silent observation, I shuffled closer to him and gently placed his head on my lap; my back leaning against the centre table.

I took a fresh swig of vodka and chuckled silently; placing my hand on his head of pink-hair whilst taking in the view of the whole room. Cards were sprawled everywhere, there was a stack of three girls practically lying on top of each other, and our homely and beloved scent of vodka could be detected faintly. All were dozed off safe and sound in the arms of beloved friends of many years, just like it had always been. Although, with the slight welcome exception of a pink-haired boy.

I reached for a random book placed on the centre table and flipped to the first page; smiling at the familiar sentence before taking a silent swig of vodka.

I read aloud; " _When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind; Paul Newman and a ride home.."_

* * *

"… _He's not as tall as Darry, and he's a little slimmer, but he has a finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow managed to be reck-"_

I stopped as I spotted the blonde-hair boy suddenly up on his feet. Sting gently placed Yukino's head on the couch, leaving Rogue to have her feet still lying on his lap whilst he slept.

I stared at the boy, "..Sting?"

He began to murmur, "..Break..fast."

I cocked an eyebrow; not quite processing what was happening. I silently muttered; "Sting, it's, uh, like, almost twelve. It's not breakfast yet. It's not even morning."

"Break..fast." he repeated and I wondered if he thought he was at his own apartment but to my surprise, he seemed to know where he was going; heading towards the stairs.

"Sting? Sting?" I tried to catch the boy's attention. _What the fuck?_

I eventually decide to leave the blonde-haired boy be. _He'll find some cereal or something._

At this point, I took a sip from the bottle before deciding to take a quick nap; Natsu's head was still on my lap and I thought my position was comfortable enough to get a moment's sleep.

I shut my eyes, not quite falling asleep just yet.

* * *

Within only a few minutes since my eyes had shut—although I was hardly really even asleep—the sudden, faint noise of pots and pans caused my eyes to flicker open.

"Sting, what the fuck?" I quietly grumbled to myself.

Eventually the sound of sizzling rose, and I wondered if Sting had any mind to Erza's and Kagura's water bill.

* * *

Something wasn't quite right.

It was only within a few minutes after the sound of the pans—which was long gone—that a certain feeling crept over my stomach. _Something is really, really not quite right._

My brain wasn't quite turning fully on but it seemed to recognise _something._ "Sting?"

And suddenly, I began to sniff.

 _I'm not quite sure but I just know this. I know this smell. This is-_

My head switched on. I scrambled to my feet, not quite paying mind to Natsu who quickly snapped out from his slumber due to the sudden movement.

"Wh-What?" he muttered, not quite awake.

My eyes widened and before anything could escape from my mouth, Sting's voice boomed loudly throughout the apartment, almost like an earthquake;

"I-IT'S BURNING!"

And within an instant, everyone's eyes shot up.

Gray stood up automatically, causing Juvia to fall over. Gajeel's eyes widened as Lisanna and Levy quickly got up. Yukino fell from the couch as Rogue leapt up. Erza, Kagura and Minerva jumped up from the carpet as if they hadn't been asleep at all. Natsu was the first to make a move apart from myself, despite the fact that his brain was hardly switched on.

Everyone scrambled to the stairs in swift movements; pushing each other with no real idea what the objective truly was.

After a quick 'what the fuck is going on' moment, everyone's eyes landed on Sting. Or rather the kitchen stove.

Or rather the fire burning nearly to the ceiling.

Sting was frozen in shock, still holding the pan's handle. He looked like the least person to know what the fuck was truly going on amongst the rest of us. _Well, this definitely isn't cereal._

I heard the quick sound of a slap from behind me and I knew it was Yukino face-palming.

"Fuck." I managed to breath out.

Sting could only scream;

"THE BACON IS BURNING."

* * *

 **I'm not even gonna lie; this chapter took a ton of work. I had to ignore a bit of goddamned schoolwork for this chapter. That's just how much I enjoy writing about these idiots. Of course, there was also the fact that I had to incorporate an entire song and the lyrics and just; ahhhhh. I don't know if I should take a break on Wednesday because this chapter is literally 8,000 words and it's the longest so far and wow, I just don't give myself breaks. I'm literally on the fence with my school schedule because I'm taking Coffee Cakes as a bit of a priority. There's also the fact that I have to publish chapters on other sites and wow, I'm really tired and I did not sleep yesterday because I was both writing and reading fanfics.**

 **Literally this entire chapter is probably my favourite so far because of one line;**

 **"Hit the fuckin verse" - Sting Eucliffe**

 **I don't know how many times I have laughed just reading that so many times while proofreading.**

 **A few things for current readers (by the way, thank you so much, you know I love ya);**

 **A)** If you spot some grammatical/spelling/typos errors or really just anything; don't worry too much about it. The nicest thing you can do would be to inform me about it, but then again that's not really needed because I literally go through and re-read all the chapters specifically to find those errors and update them. Usually I'm in some sort of hurry when writing because like duh, updating every day, so I can't always have chapters published all perfect. But I do a ton of work just re-reading chapters so I can note and change errors.

 **B)** 'Coffee Cakes' is almost the fanfic equivalent of a slice-of-life anime. Almost because yes, as I've mentioned before, there will be more serious stuff happening later on (but due in a while so don't worry about it). So please don't expect some cyborg science-fiction-level plot happening right now; it's just a bunch of teenagers with their love for vodka.

 **C)** I'm updating every day. I get tired. I might make mistakes. People who don't care and read the content anyway? I love you. Like, so much. Let's get married man.

 **D)** I understand that the characters are so _out of character._ But dude this is fanfic, I read a story about the same characters in this fanfic right now being goddamned _whales_ once.

 **Thank you so much for reading and thank you so much the reviews; you make my days brighter and the motivation to update every day is being maintained by all your kind words.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Corybantic; (adjectve) Wild, frenzied._


	15. Pandemonium

Fires from the kitchen happened in movies. It did not happen at nearly midnight whilst you and an entire brigade of unprepared humans watched in horror, still half-awake, half-drunk and probably wondering if they were dreaming. It didn't happen from a blonde-haired boy who was completely glued in a hopeless position with no idea how the fire even started even though he was the person who caused it.

The worse thing was it took a second and maybe a half to realise that fires in the kitchen did, in fact, happen to places other than the movies.

Which is why Erza started screaming her lungs out, Natsu started panicking with no real idea what the hell to do as he was still half-awake, Gray being absolutely confused but terrified, Yukino eternally face-palming, Lisanna staring at the fire like it was the stars, Rogue passing out straight away and myself unable to process anything.

Erza glued her hands to her hair, she was running around the kitchen aimlessly, "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, HOLY FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK.."

Minerva only stared, "This is a fuckin' dream."

Gajeel took Levy by the waist and lifted her, "I didn't sign up for this shit."

He left casually; strolling back up the stairs whilst carrying Levy and waving at all of us calmly. _Well, that does not fuckin' help._

"IT'S BURNING! IT'S FUCKIN BURNING!" Sting kept screaming, and yet his hands were still glued to the handle, and I wondered for a split-second if he cared more about the _bacon_ burning than the entire apartment.

"Well, no shit!" Juvia screamed, she scrambled to her feet and momentarily slapped Gray in the face, "Wake the fuck up, dumbass! The fuckin' apartment is gonna fuckin' burn. Pull off your goddamned jacket!"

Gray took a second to slip out of his frozen mental state, "What the fuck is going on?"

Juvia simply let out a frustrated scream, slapping a hand to her face before forcibly taking off Gray's coat and throwing it at me. In the corner of my eye, I could spot Kagura desperately trying to run after Erza as the red-headed girl only continued to run around in mindless circles whilst screaming.

"Try to put out the fire whilst I go and get some water!" Juvia yelled, her eyes darting around before she ran to the dangerous kitchen; knocking off Sting enough for him to simply fall to the floor—not that he seemed to mind, he was still absolutely frozen mentally and physically—and slammed open a drawer, pulling out a giant glass bowl.

"Natsu!" she screamed.

Natsu paused for a moment before finally staring at the blue-haired girl, "Huh?"

Juvia let out another incoherent scream, "Okay, Gray's fuckin' useless along with mostly everybody else. Fuckin' help me carry this to the bathroom to fill!"

"Wait!" Erza suddenly shouted from the dining table, Kagura had her arms wrapped around her waist to restrain her from running,"Can't we just pour vodka on it?"

"That doesn't sound like a great idea!" Juvia screamed before gesturing to Natsu to help her. They disappeared, running to the bathroom.

Yukino managed to stop face-palming and quickly ran over to the blonde-haired boy on the kitchen floor; she hastily pulled half of his body up as she crouched down on the floor. Yukino shook him by the shoulders back and forth repeatedly and occasionally giving a slap to the face. He was still frozen.

"STING!" Yukino yelled, "WAKE UP! ARE YOU OKAY? WAKE THE FUCK UP! STING!"

Rogue fell on his knees to the floor, "Sting..you dumbass."

My brain still didn't focus well enough to make rational thoughts but it at least obeyed Juvia's commands; I held Gray's jacket, repeatedly attempting to put out the fire by covering small areas. It worked—but not by a mile.

"My fuckin' jacket!" Gray cried.

"STING! TALK TO ME!" Yukino screamed, "GIVE ME A FUCKIN' SIGNAL THAT YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"WE'RE GONNA FUCKIN' DIE!" Erza declared from the other side of the room.

"ERZA! GET BACK HERE!" Kagura yelled.

"THAT JACKET IS FIFTY BUCKS! NO!" Gray yelled louder, reaching his hands out dramatically.

I willed myself to yell, "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK."

"What the actual fuck is going on?" Minerva whispered.

Lisanna only turned to hit her head on a wall. She didn't seem like she was going to move any time soon.

Juvia and Natsu eventually emerged from the bathroom; the giant bowl was filled and a bit of water splashed on the carpet from the fast movement.

"THIS APARTMENT IS NOT GONNA FUCKIN' BURN." Juvia screamed; she looked fearsome, terrifying, determined, strong-willed in pursuit and at the same time, desperate for a good downing of a bottle of vodka.

She continued, "MINERVA! LISANNA!"

The two girls shot up at the mention of their names.

"HELP US THROW THE FUCKIN' WATER ON THE FIRE." she barked and the two girls only proceeded to do their orders; helping carry the bowl alongside Natsu.

"The fire's too high!" Lisanna yelled as they faced the monstrous heat, I took a step to give way, dropping the jacket.

"We have to throw it towards up!" Minerva concluded.

Natsu only nodded, he looked like he preferred just fainting like Rogue.

"ON MY FUCKIN' COUNT." Juvia ordered with the three nodding in agreement.

"3!"

My head ached and I didn't know if it was the constant hysteric screams, the smoke of the fire or Gray's cries over his jacket.

"2!"

My hand was glued to my forehead.

"1!"

In an instant, the four lunged their hands almost towards the fire, turning the bowl sideways as the water splashed towards the burning energy.

A sudden wave of smoke filled the air. I heard coughs and proceeded to cover my mouth and nose with my hand, waving the other hand to clear out the hazy air.

I heard the sounds of the nearby kitchen windows being yanked opened and concluded that Juvia must've done it to reduce the smoke. But a sudden wave of exhaustion fell over me and evidently everyone else as I allowed myself to fall on the kitchen floor. I briefly heard thumps and realised everybody else must've felt the same. Natsu—alongside Minerva, Lisanna and eventually Juvia—fell to the ground; coughing and yet, breathing sighs of relief. I had no relative idea why and how, but Kagura and Erza were both sprawled on top of the dining table and Rogue remained passed out. Sting was still frozen in shock and Yukino finally resorted to just weakly slapping the blonde-haired boy.

Without much thought, I began to shut my eyes close. The room was absolute silence in itself with the exception of heavy breathing and occasional coughs.

But certain sound of vibration occurred and they reluctantly flutter back open.

 _Wait, what is-this is-_

The fire was out, there was still a bit of smoke left on the air, it was midnight and of course, One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' was on full blast from Natsu's phone.

" _You're insecure, don't know what for.."_

The lyrics were familiar and no one seemed to have the energy to do anything about the song; Natsu's body face sideways on the floor, Juvia, Lisanna and Minerva all faced the ceiling with no real understanding of what had just happened. For some reason, Erza and Kagura were spooning on the dining table and I didn't have the right amount of care in the world to ask how they got in the position.

The room remained silent as the song went on for what seemed like an eternity.

Eventually, the song hit its second wave of the chorus, and for the wrong reasons my brain finally switched on, remembering the words of the pink-haired boy

 _"_ _Let's do a singalong together!"_

I sat leaning against the kitchen counter, and I wondered if I still remembered the lyrics.

I choked out; " _..Everyone else in the room could see it. Everyone else but you.."_

Juvia—even in her exhausted; having saved our hopeless asses and all—seemed to be the first to hear my voice and seemed to do what she could only do in the aftermath of our situation;

" _..Baby you light up my world like nobody else.."_ she sang dully, staring at the ceiling.

Lisanna joined in, and to my surprise Minerva followed with a weak voice, ".. _The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed.."_

Erza—seemingly having calmed down—excitedly and with a sigh, so did Kagura, " _..The way you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell.."_

Gray's voice shot up like lightning, alongside his mental state, ".. _You don't know.."_

An awakened Sting, Yukino and eventually, Natsu's voice joined in blankly exhaustingly; ".. _You don't know you're beautiful."_

At that point, Gajeel's booming voice joined from upstairs; faint but still effectively bad. Levy's petite voice was also added.

And with the exception of a poor passed out Rogue, everyone in the apartment sang; dully, tired, exhausted and truly, the very collision of stupidity. Our combined voices eventually overpowered the volume of One Direction's superior voices blaring from Natsu's phone.

" _If only you saw what I can see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately."_

 _"_ _Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe you don't know.."_

 _"_ _You don't you're beautiful.."_

 _"_ _..That's what makes you beautiful._

The song ended. The room became silent, and I knew that eyes were already beginning to finally shut close—undisturbed this time. It was 12:04am.

I decided it ought to be me to be polite; morality-subjective, of course. After all, Juvia seemed like she needed to take a break from saving lives; ya know, as she usually does every once in a while

when her mood called for it.

"Natsu?" I managed to choke out.

The pink-haired boy stared at the ceiling. "Hm?"

I paused. My own thoughts suddenly flew back to me from just a few days before;

 _New kid, you came to the wrong city and_ _to the wrong school with the wrong people who will force you to do wrong things with the right vodka._

The tiniest curve on my lips appeared as I sighed.

"Welcome to Koharu."

* * *

 **And that's the end of the first arc + the mini arc! Woohoo! I'm so tired! And so are these idiots! If you want to keep track of the arcs, I'll write how they are so far as I go.**

 **Alpha Arc: Incipient to Petrichor**

 **Mini #1: Amethyst** **to Pandemonium**

 **You'll have to keep reading to know what's the next arc going be about! Also, I don't even listen to One Direction or am against them or anything. I was just looking for the most ironic song I could think of hahaha.**

 **So just a bit of a sad thing to say, but I probably won't be able to update tomorrow and the day after. Not until the weekend, I suppose. As much as I hate to say it, CC has made me have to ignore my schedule and artwork and both mean very much to me. I love updating every day but I can't take too much sacrifices enough for me to fall behind in school. I've only updated this chapter to finish off the arc. And anyway, I need to get a headstart and map out the next arc for me to write! But then again, this is me and I crave writing; it's one of my many hobbies, so I might update. I don't know, I'm not good with not working. I tend to feel every need to keep working. A cup of coffee will always be with me if I need the extra recklessness to write tomorrow.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewers? I love ya.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Pandemonium; (noun) Wild and noisy disorder or confusion, an uproar._


	16. Carmine

I fell flat on my ass.

My head continued to spin despite the all-too-familiar chorus blaring and filling the room. I wondered as I always did what time it was before a sudden wave of particular thoughts hit my head.

 _Deja vu?_

What I had been doing? What was the time? What was the month? What was even the year? My head only twisted in thoughts as I reached my hand from the floor to pick up the blaring phone on the bedside table. I was careful, however, not to knock off the can of energy drink. A can that did not leave my room even when it was well due to be in the trash; or rather, I could never will myself to do the inevitable.

I pressed the device to my ear, gazing at the ceiling.

"Lucy Heartfilia!"

 _Yep, this is deja vu._

"..well, good day to you too."

A sigh, "For the top student in class, you seem so lazy sometimes."

I cocked an eyebrow, "I'm not lazy. I'm just tired."

"Are you and Natsu getting your asses to FT Cafe or fuckin' what?"

"I don't know. Depends on whether he's still awake, I guess."

"You're only saying that because he's probably still asleep."

I sighed, "You know me so well."

"Just tell me if you two are getting here or not. You know everyone is accustomed to getting shit together on the weekend."

I took the energy to chuckle, "Everyone is also accustomed to getting their shit lost on the weekend."

"And so the cycle continues."

I narrowed my eyes at the blank ceiling, "I guess we will."

Juvia's voice brightened, "Okay. Get your asses in the cafe quick."

"Yeah, yeah. Yes, madam."

And she hung up.

I sighed and momentarily groaned before pushing my body off the carpet and getting on my feet, stretching for a moment or two. I gazed outside my windows, taking in the view, the faint noises and familiar aroma of the apartment; the sunlight was basking in all its glory, shining light to the nearly blank room and the vast buildings in Koharu City. Suddenly the world was so peaceful. That's what the season did to you.

The strong winds that bit the skin had disappeared alongside the snow and the bliss of hot coffee on a winter morning. Memories of winter was all blurred into certain periods of time; namely, a month ago.

A month had passed as peacefully as it could get; it was now March and it was spring.

* * *

Natsu was sprawled on the coach, alongside the familiar cat. I only sighed.

Happy made constant appearances to my apartment ever since Natsu decided he did not want to leave his cat behind. In fact, Natsu nearly always stayed the night. And there happened to be a giant spare bag of Happy's cat food stuffed in one of my drawers. They almost lived in my apartment and within a month, I almost lived in Natsu's.

It didn't all become so apparent to either of us until after a weekend lunch with Lisanna, I had headed home and found Natsu casually preparing an instant beef noodle cup whilst feeding Happy. We stared at each other for a moment, and it was ridiculous how it was just then that we slowly realised that we were practically living with each other.

I had sighed whilst he only looked up and grinned, "How was the lunch?"

"Nice. Great. 8/10."

"What was the food?"

"Just basic bacon sandwiches with some good coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary." I cocked an eyebrow before breathing out, "And Natsu?"

"Yep?"

"You're eating an instant beef noodle cup again."

"Yep."

"Your own cat is literally right here."

"Yep."

"And you're feeding Happy."

"Yep."

"You're gonna stay at the couch again tonight, aren't you?"

"…Yep."

"You do know what that means?"

"Yep." he grinned.

Natsu bought the cat food to my apartment the next day after that.

And now on a warm spring weekend afternoon—the perfect day to get our asses to FT Cafe—Natsu laid on my couch with Happy on his lap. He had a packet of his usual strawberry liquorice sitting beside him and another batch of DVD's was perched messily on the centre table; we haven't been able to finish them all yet.

I strode to the centre of the living room, clutching the pillow. The room was also bathing in sunlight—more than it had so far in the year—and the pink-haired boy had obviously took that as an advantage for a good afternoon nap.

I hastily punched his face with the pillow repeatedly. Pillow-waking was becoming a passionate sport and deep hobby for me, evidently much to Natsu's despair.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP."

Another hobby happened to be using that line alongside the rough action; it was stimulating and great for blood circulation.

Natsu's eyes eventually shot opened and he groaned, reaching his hand in some direction to stop the pillow's force; he was kinda failing at it as well.

"OH MY-FUCKIN' STOP. I'M UP. I'M UP."

I retreated hostility, dropping the white pillow on the ground and grinned.

"Afternoon."

Natsu groaned and fell back to the couch, "Nice weather we're having."

I smiled sweetly, "Isn't it? That's good because if the weather is nice, we need to get out asses to the cafe."

"If we are, let's bring Happy." he scratched the back of Happy's ear affectionately.

"That's great, Natsu but cat-walking isn't up to the norm these days and last time we did that, Kmart had to call security guards."

Natsu frowned, "And I totally would've fuckin' won a brawl with one of them if you hadn't told me to just leave. Like, my rep was fuckin' ruined that week."

"Your 'rep' is literally nothing but the fact that you climbed the school building's roof with one of Gray's ice sculptures and threatening to drop it if he didn't give you his lunch back."

"I was so amazing, they should've fuckin' put me on the newspapers."

I sighed, "They did and it wasn't exactly praise."

"Whatever. Let me walk Happy."

"Happy is staying. You're overfeeding him and everyone is already in love with that cat so the minute he walks in the cafe, Sting's gonna be fuckin' buying him cake."

"Sting buys fuckin' everyone cake."

"That's not the point. You're not cat-walking. Don't worry, you're not missing out on any of the latest trends. Cat-walking isn't exactly popular."

Natsu crossed his arms, "Yes it is!'

"Who does it?"

"..Rich people, I guess? Too much time on their hands?"

"That's discrimination against rich people. And anyway, are you saying you're rich?"

Natsu paused briefly at that one before replying, "Yes."

"You eat instant noodle cups on a daily basis."

"Hey! Five fuckin' dollars instant noodle cups!"

"What does that mean?"

"I have noodle cup standards!"

"What point are you getting at?"

Natsu sighed, glancing at the dark furred cat. His fur, according to Natsu, was occasionally blue-looking.

"..Okay, you win. But I'm feeding him first."

I grinned at the pink-haired boy before suddenly drowning in an ocean of thoughts as Natsu continued to pet Happy.

I suddenly registered the month in my head; _It is spring so it is March. It's Natsu first time in Koharu in March._

 _I guess it ought to be a good month._

* * *

 **And so the recklessness did kick in. And here is the chapter update alongside the fact that I'm so, so overworked. Like, literally I'm never going to be able to let myself live this one down. I guess I'll just stick to a 1,000 - 2,000 words for now and I'm so sorry if I happen to just fall in that bracket, I seriously wish I had the time in the world to write longer 2,000 - 4,000 word chapters for lovely readers every day, but this is literally all I can find myself managing if I update every weekday, and even occasional weekends. Other than that, I'm pumped for this arc. It's gonna be long chapters-wise, I'm guessing. Unless I somehow fit a 10,000 words chapter somewhere, it's kinda unlikely plot-wise this time though. I guess if you want the slightest hint of what the arc is gonna be about, I'll give you only three clues;**

 **1\. The arc is gonna be a lil' episodic chapter-wise.**

 **2\. We get to learn even more of what has happened in the *gasp* one month time skip.**

 **3\. There will be a certain new character showing up.** ** _Ooooh._**

 **One last thing; a secret writing project is in the works. That is all. Mwahaha.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Carmine; (noun) A vivid crimson pigment from cochineal_


	17. Amber

Fairy Tail Cafe was warm, bright, heavily scented with cakes and good coffee, and it was awfully, _awfully_ crowded. Granted, it was always lively with people, always busy with chatter and noises and the sound of Mirajane's voice calling out to customers that fawned over her, but March was just one of the busiest seasons—or rather, it was the abrupt start of the following 'busy' seasons. It was stressful, it was tiring, but it still managed to carry out the same warmth and atmosphere.

Juvia drank her soda then slammed it straight to the table, "I have never been so pumped up in my whole entire life."

Everyone sat around the familiar table situated in front of the window seats; although instead of grey, rainy skies and strong wind, the view outside was beginning to show clear signs of spring; the sun allowed colours of the city to pop and whilst the wind remained, it was gentler and kinder.

"An understatement." Levy began, she was smiling as she remained holding a book, "You are pumped for a lot of things in life."

"Nevertheless!" Erza exclaimed, raising her own can of soda, "It is better than not being pumped. It is the month of March after all!"

I grinned, "So, what is everyone's agenda this month? Apart from the you-know-what?"

Natsu grimaced; 'you-know-what' was a code he did not know of, something everyone knew except him. He knew it was in March, he knew it was exciting, he knew that Juvia constantly raved and got overexcited over it, and he knew absolutely nothing about it. It amused the hell out of everyone else to see the pink-haired boy so frustrated.

"You people are so fuckin' mean." he pouted then proceeded to cross his arms like a child as everyone laughed.

Lisanna laughed, "You'll find out soon enough, Natsu."

Gray smirked, "He's clearly just impatient. Although it surprises me that he hasn't figured it out yet."

Sting chewed on his cake, "Mah' agenda's, like; eat then sleep then get my ass kicked by Yuki then go to school then get my ass kicked by Yuki again then eat again then get my ass kicke-"

"Then burn an apartment down." Kagura inter.

"And get your ass handed by Yuki again." Juvia finished.

"You people know me so well, I'm touched." Sting grinned, and I wondered if instead of being sarcastic, the boy meant it.

"Kagura, Minerva and I are off to go fetch some part-time jobs again. The season is here." Erza declared, holding her fork of cake midair.

"Look out police station." Gray sighed.

"Or Kmart." Yukino laughed.

I sighed, "Kmart is never gonna accept you guys."

"They're gonna miss out on great security guards." Erza sighed as if she was deeply concerned over Kmart never hiring her and the girls.

"Real security guards will probably have to restrain you guys if you become security guards." Lisanna laughed.

"As if they can hold a fight with us." Minerva scoffed.

"Ice sculptures are getting harder to do with the sun finally back this month." Gray muttered, scratching the back of his head, "I don't know, but I'm probably gonna be busy anyway."

Juvia sighed, "The bar's getting fairly crowded as well—not as much as FT, but definitely enough to get the boss handing me more shifts. And swim team's off the charts lately because of the weather too."

I grinned, "Not that you're complaining."

Juvia scoffed, "Hell to the fuckin' no! I love the water—I may as well become the water—and more fuckin' drinks for me. I love mah' life. No regrets. I'm too amazing."

"You're becoming like Gray more and more everyday and it worries me." Levy sighed.

"It worries _everyone_." Lisanna corrected.

Gray only sighed happily, staring at Juvia as if she were an achievement, "I am an astonishingly beautiful influence."

"You are practically the opposite."

"He is an effective influence though." Natsu pointed out, grinning.

Levy smiled as she flipped a page, "Gajeel and I might be going for a trip."

This earned excitement from all around the table, Gajeel only grinned proudly.

"Well, the possibilities are endless." Erza muttered, "And I'm going to be an Aunt soon."

I laughed, "Too soon."

Laughs filled the cafe until a deafening moment occurs; Natsu finally slammed his can of soda after a large gulp on the wooden table. He stared at everyone around the table with merciless eyes.

"Okay, people," he began, his eyes darting around as if he were an interrogator, "I don't give a fuck anymore; what is the 'you-know-what?"

Everyone else suppressed stifles of laughter, although Gajeel and Gray didn't quite hold back. I sighed, smiling at the pink-haired-boy beside me, cocking his eyebrows like it was a persuasive technique. I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't working at all.

"I guess it took you long enough." I took a quick sip of my soda, suddenly spotting Mirajane standing firmly at the bar, "..don't worry, you're literally about to find out."

I pointed a finger towards the white-haired girl across the room, directing everyone's eyes to Mirajane Strauss confidently holding a microphone as everyone in the crowded cafe looked on. Suddenly, the noise level reduced tremendously.

"Okay, everyone." her voice remained calm, yet loud and firm. I wondered if she took public-speaking classes.

She continued, beaming, "As everyone knows, it is finally the month of March"—this earned a few cheers—"and FT Cafe has been a staple for those that wind up in Koharu in their search for enlightenment. Of course, the month is gonna be hectic and the cafe would like to participate in all the cheer as it has always done every year."

More cheers. Mirajane only smiled wider; "We're going to be teaming up with schools all around Koharu, as well as the city council. FT Cafe will take a big part in the annual parade this year as well."—Louder cheers—"Thank you for all the fellow customers for supporting!"

I grinned; this was it; "..And definitely a big, extra thank you for the support from your local—practically mascots—student customers from Magnolia Academy."—a few grins and turned heads towards us occurred—"if you don't know them, shame on you, they run the whole city as is."

This earned laughs from around the table and the majority of knowing customers in the cafe. Mirajane directed a hand towards us, leading the eyes of everyone in the cafe.

Mirajane continued, "It's been another great year with the Magnolia Academy Student Council, we're lucky to have them always support.."

Mirajane's words seemed to faded out when it came to everyone in the table as Natsu stared at everyone in disbelief—he briefly screamed.

"What the hell?!" he tried to whisper as Mirajane continued.

Everyone else chuckled at the pink-haired-boy. "You're too slow, Natsu." Lisanna pointed out, still trying to stifle her laughs.

"I have no clue how you didn't even find out, dumbass." Gray commented.

"I had no fucking clue. I didn't know you people were in the fuckin' school council!" Natsu continued, still trying to lower his voice. He was failing terribly.

"Hasn't anybody in the Academy ever mention it to you?" Kagura asked.

"Bisca? Ms. Vermillion? Literally anybody?" Erza suggested.

"Because everyone in the Academy literally knows." Juvia pointed, "Not to brag; we're kinda famous even."

Natsu ran a hand through his hair in thought. He stayed silent for a minute or two before suddenly gasping; "A few weeks ago, Ms. Vermillion asked me if I was going to join the student council. I didn't know how the hell she could think I would be a good fit for a student council. But now.."

Natsu sighed in frustration as everyone continued to laugh.

Sting took a bite of his cake, "You could still join, Natsu. Except it takes a while and it really doesn't go only to the school. We really are running the city sometimes."

"How the fuck?" Natsu widened his eyes.

Juvia sighed, "Let's just say for a group of fuckin' morons, we somehow all have a good amount of connections."

"That sounds like some kind of cult motto." Natsu protested.

"Shh, dumbasses. Mira's about to announce it." Gajeel warned, and silence fell around the table as everyone reverted their attention back to Lisanna's sister.

Mirajane's smile had gotten even wider. "..And so, with every bit of excitement in me and our own local cafe owner, Makarov, we'd like to welcome new customers and old to Koharu City's biggest and annual event of the year…"

Loud cheers and a man had jumped on top of a table. I wondered for a moment before betting that said man was going to fall off.

Mirajane raised a glass of what I perceived to be plain beer, "Let the Koharu City Spring Festival begin!"

Louder cheers erupted, including everyone around the table with the slight exception of Natsu.

In the midst of the chaos, Natsu only turned to look at everyone's grins.

"What?"

* * *

Levy began.

"The Koharu City Spring Festival. Possibly the biggest event of the year and the most anticipated. Tourists, travellers and all kinds of people flock the city during March to see this one festival. Hence why the city has been so crowded, alongside the cafe."

Kagura followed.

"FT Cafe—being a staple in the city—is heavily involved in the festival. The cafe's business involves the city parade. And Makarov happens to be an old friend of some people in the city council."

Juvia grinned.

"The Spring Festival goes on for three days. And those three days the entire city is busy. Imagine a school festival, but expanded to an entire city. That's what the city will look like in three days. It'll be crowded, there's music everywhere and stalls of all kinds are flocking the streets."

Gajeel continued.

"Being the goddamned biggest and most influential school in the Koharu—not to mention, prestigious—Magnolia Academy is obviously involved. And the student council will obviously run things from there. In fact, the Academy supplies for nearly every event in the entire festival."

Erza went on.

"The month of March for Magnolia Academy is not even going to be near schoolwork. The school is basically going to be just practicing for the parade, getting crap done for stalls and events, building and just generally preparing for three days of insanity."

Lisanna smiled.

"The student council is divided in different areas when it comes to the festival. There is art to be displayed from the city museum and the Academy. There's food and clothing stalls to be organised. There's a radio station to be running throughout the entire festival and speakers to be installed literally everywhere. There's all kinds of things."

Gray sighed.

"It's fuckin' tiring, I'll say that. There's the business side of things and commercial. We've also got to attract as many people to Koharu until the festival begins. The student council has so much shit to do and we're practically going to be running the whole city until it all ends."

Yukino offered a smile.

"We've got to pray weather is good during those three days. Cancellation cannot happen, no one in the council will let it. There's also all the city's Wings that need to be taken care of, and the festival will continue in all the major Wings, although the festival is mainly situated at Central. So we're not just organising one festival, we're essentially organising five."

Rogue took a sip of water before going on.

"There will be fifty events going around the city each day, and that's not even counting outside Central. The festival doesn't end each day until 11pm and on the last day, it will end around 12. That's when the fireworks happen."

Sting laughed.

"So here's the lineup. Natsu; Gray and Juvia are dealing with the arts and the radio station. Erza, Kagura and Minerva are all dealing with stalls in every area. Yukino, Rogue and I are off to mainly deal the parade and every thing happening at Central. Gajeel and Levy have to deal with stall building and main city events. Lisanna's obviously involved with a lot of the cafe's dealings and events. And Lucy's kinda the head honcho and dealing with business and keeping track of everything; literally everything."

I grinned.

"The Koharu City Spring Festival begins on 24th of March. Everyone works hard to make the festival fuckin' amazing. You got all that, Natsu?"

The pink-haired boy stared as everyone turned to grin at him. This was not just a warm afternoon on 1st of March in a crowded and noisy cafe; it was officially the last day of calm and peace. It was the end of sufficient sleep and rest. It was the day we could treasure being with each other in a normal mental state, because when the lights go off and dawn appears in the midst of the morning mist, everything will fall in complete organised and tiring chaos.

Natsu sighed, "I haven't got a clue."

Everyone laughed at the reply; but nobody seemed to disagree.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for not being able to update on Friday; you have all my apologies. I have just been so drained from schoolwork and there's art to be done (I've been terrible and not been doing art until fairly recently) and so I took a few days off.**

 **Other than that; I've concluded the arc well enough to start writing chapters up! I'm so pumped for this arc just as much as Juvia. There's going to be a lot of thing happening and you'll see new sides of characters (or rather, hidden sides) and wow, I'm excited.**

 **Thank you so much for reading and thank you for all the lovely reviews; as always, you make my day by 100x.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Amber; (noun) hard translucent fossilized resin originating from extinct coniferous trees of the Tertiary period, typically yellowish in colour_


	18. Astir

If Natsu couldn't quite believe on Sunday that we were all in the student council, that we all ran the entire festival and that we all were going to have our asses on the busiest schedule during the entire month, he could certainly believe it on a Monday.

After a quick stop to Anya's—we had become friends with the bakers—and the usual train ride, we had arrived at school. Although the usual routine of meeting up with everyone at the front steps towards the hallway was broken before we had even stepped through the front gates.

An entire brigade of students stood around the gates, each one holding either clipboards, or huge piles of paperwork and almost everyone was screaming.

"Lucy!"

"Ms. Heartfilia!"

"Student council!"

"The first book club is ready to start meetings!"

"We're going to have to get stalls arranged!"

"Where the hell is the meeting schedule?"

"Where the fuck is my pen?!"

I sighed and took a moment to take a bite out of my bagel, not quite paying attention the horde in favour of gazing at the beauty of my morning snack. Natsu only stood beside me in confusion and bewilderment.

The pink-haired boy stared; looking rather unsure on who he should be staring at; the huge group of students or me?

"What is going on?"

I shrugged, "You tell me."

I chewed carefully before clearing my throat, "Listen up!"

This earned complete silence. _I could take notes from Juvia and Erza's handbook any day._

I continued, eyes glaring almost maniacally. Although I kept my posture calm and straightforward. This was what five years of Magnolia Academy teaches you—either that or five years of friendship with a certain blue-haired or red-haired girl.

"Someone give me a clipboard and a pen."

Someone's hand reached out to provide both, and I took both confidently whilst suddenly wishing I had more bagels. Beginning to stroll, commands came rushing through my head. The brigade of students and a silenced Natsu followed; I contemplated briefly whether or not I should ask him for a bagel.

"Classical Music Club will have the first meeting around the first fifteen minutes of period one." I barked to the sky, hoping some member of said club had jotted it down, "I will add in a new meeting schedule for the week, it'll be handed in today last period."

A few murmurs occurred, I continued to stroll, taking noted whilst I did, "Art and Swim Team will have their meetings around periods four and five. It'll be announced so don't worry. The annual parade meeting will be happening around last period—don't forget it, people!"

"Creative clubs especially have to book in their meetings and schedule as soon as possible, if your club doesn't get a time slot, you're only to blame!"

"Listen up! Get your asses together on where you will be situated in the entire festival! South, North, East or West Wing, I don't care! Get your locations submitted quickly and we will take care of it. The grand meeting will occur during the second period, do not miss it!"

"Festival decorations, arrangements, stalls and the majority of everything will be discussed in meeting. State your club, your purpose and your schedule each week."

"We have only a few weeks to get it together; don't miss a single detail out, be punctual and get yourselves organised immediately."

And with that, I took a deep breath. I suddenly wanted coffee.

"Art club, get your arrangements and time schedule done!"

"Music, you're off to get the time slots submitted immediately."

"Cooking club, hand in your meeting schedule."

"Everyone else involved with stalls, events and anything else; get to it. Don't waste time; don't waste others' time, don't waste the student council's time, don't waste your time and most of all, don't waste my time!"

I commanded everything whilst gazing at the sky; although I was aware some people had already gone off to do what they were commanded to do. Natsu still stood beside me; we had walked from the school gates to the front door to the hallway—although it seemed like an eternity just taking a few steps.

Natsu sighed; he seemed to be tired without even having to do anything at all. I wondered if my exhaustion had emitted.

"You do this every year?"

I smiled, "Everyone does it every year. It's tiring. But the end result is what gets everyone up and running."

"Where's everyone else?"

"Probably commanding their own stations. Gray and Juvia must be flocked by now. They are packed with duties." I sighed, last year Juvia almost drowned two poor freshman in bad alcohol when what seemed like the entire school had invaded her and Gray in the middle of the hallway. It took all Erza, Kagura and Minerva to restrain her.

"God, I never should have agreed to this. I'm already tired just watching you command all these people; you sound like Juvia." he groaned, planting his face on his palms.

I thought about this for a second, "Actually, I try to make a mix of both Juvia and Erza."

"Erza? Isn't she always drunk?"

I laughed, "You haven't seen Erza at all."

"I knew you guys were top-secret geniuses disguising as idiots."

"Or vice-versa."

He paused then grinned, "You want a bagel, don't you?"

I stared at the pink-haired boy. One month can give so much information.

"You know me so well."

And with that, the pink-haired boy handed me another bagel from the brown bag. Silently chewing another as we strolled through the hallway. The hallway was a complete disaster.

The bell had rung as if on cue.

"C'mon, Natsu, my little stormtrooper. You're gonna experience the true council life today."

'Who the hell are you calling a stormtrooper? And where the hell are we going?"

"Classical Music Club's first meeting. They're a huge band and their weapons of war are effective. I wonder how it's going to go down this year."

"How did it go down last year?"

I laughed almost maniacally at his question.

"Didn't I say their weapons of war are effective?"

* * *

Bands—especially those in the classical side of things—are often thought of to be proper people. They are suppose to be elegant with their shiny instruments—trumpets, horns, flutes, euphs and all that fancy jazz—and they're supposed to be well-mannered in a way. That's what Natsu and 14-year-old Lucy Heartifilia thought.

17-year-old Lucy Heartfilia knows better and Natsu was nearly screaming. The 'meeting' was lovely disaster; two seperate groups that fought over whatever the hell they usually fought over; it had been nearly five minutes in the meeting and I had taken a genuine guess that they might be fighting over Mozart.

"If we don't get the band to play this piece during the parade, it's all loss cause!" a girl cried out.

Vicious screams erupted. Natsu had sat beside me with a clipboard. He leant just a little closer.

"Is this suppose to be a meeting or a declaration of world war three?" he whispered, and he looked genuinely confused whilst waiting for an answer.

I pursed my lips, "Hmm, it's not really a declaration for world war three, the cooking club's already done that last year. World War Four, I guess."

"When is the meeting actually going to happen?"

I sighed, almost looking lovingly at the war in front of me. A girl was seriously looking like she was going to hit a poor guy with her flute, I silently rooted for the poor male.

"Hush, they are engaging in the fruits of their youths. Conflict is essential in every day high school life. It is the only way to find what's best in each other."

"Yeah, that's great and all quote-wise, but if you look to your right, that chick is about to pull off the other chick's hair."

I sighed. "Alright."

I uncrossed my legs and slowly leapt up; it was really just far too early for the likes of this.

My voice filled the room and I knew it, "Now, you've had your fun. Let's get into meeting. Everyone sit at once."

The room fell into silence as each member quickly found seats.

Whilst they did so, I instructed Natsu; "Take notes on every important detail. Time, dates and schedules. Don't miss a single detail."

The pink-haired boy only nodded as he stared at his clipboard. He looked calm, resilient and I was impressed already.

"First party, Classical Music Club president, Amelia Binde. State any form of arrangement." I yelled out to the silenced room.

The brunette girl stood. A tall, lean girl with dark-rimmed glasses.

"Parade time will go on for exactly twelve minutes estimated if we walk throughout every street at Central. We've done it before and it is our traditional route."

To the corner of my eye, I sensed Natsu already jotting things down hastily.

"Events?" I asked.

"Three events for three days. Our main event, the Band Stanza, will go on the 26th. It will happen just before the fireworks."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Can you schedule it earlier than that?"

The girl looked taken aback, her strict and calm demeanour reducing just slightly, "I-I think we'll have to discuss it within the club first. We had every intention to take the last time slot before the annual fireworks."

I was surprised but was quick not to show it. A _naivety;_ almost everyone wanted to take the last time slot before the fireworks—clubs fought for it. It was one of the most difficult situations within the festival and it was an ongoing rivalry. I suddenly remembered that the gracious Amelia Binde had only been selected as their president this year. _Oh God, hasn't anyone told her anything?_

I smiled instead, "Please do so. And to everyone; I cannot care less about the club's choice of composition this year—as long as it fits the time frame well. Do not waste your time in merely choosing what to practice—hurry and pick it so that you can have the time in the world to perfect it until the parade."

"We will." the brunette reassured.

A newbie president with a calm, serious yet evidently friendly demeanour; I liked her style.

I smiled and continued, "The courtyard will be fairly booked soon. Speak with Levy McGarden or Gajeel Redfox if you all wish to be able to schedule your marching practices and such."

"How do we contact them?" the girl innocently asked.

I sighed, "Actually, don't worry. Just hand Natsu"—I stuck up a thumb to point at the pink-haired boy—"your marching practice schedule and I'll figure something out."

A few murmurs fell across the room as the president only nodded.

"Uhm, Ms. Heartfilia." the brunette began and the room suddenly fell back to silence, "About the events, we would-"

I cut her off, smiling as I did, "Don't worry, Ms. Binde. I assure you that the council knows the importance of the Classical Music Club. It is Magnolia Academy's most oldest. I will send details to Juvia Lockser and she'll probably meet up with you all soon about your events."

The girl looked relieved as I stole the words off her. It was confronting speaking with people who were running an entire festival on pure manpower and I knew it. Juvia may be the most eccentric being on earth, but she knew how to assure and smile at people enough to calm them. Her handbook came in useful.

I sighed, my eyes darting around the many members practically flocking the room.

"Well then, this meeting is over." I announced, falling back to my chair.

The room almost erupted as students began to stand up and walk towards the door. The president had waved a polite goodbye and a few students were kind enough to give a thank you.

As they eventually escaped the room, Natsu sighed.

"Will they be alright choosing the composition?"

I shrugged, "Don't worry if things get too violent. That's what we have Juvia Lockser for."

"You really are head honcho now."

I laughed, "I try. You get used to it. And how are you, my little stormtrooper?"

"Doing fine, doing okay. I want a sandwich."

"I'm sorry, that's not gonna happen right now. World War Five Infinity is about to happen soon. We only have the rest of the period to go through and deal with shit. Then the grand meeting is going to happen and Juvia's going to scream at everyone." I rested on my head on the back of chair lazily, almost reliving the memory of Juvia having to be restrained from throwing a chair at a poor member of the male species.

 _Oh wait, that was Gray._

"That sounds like some mediocre video game."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"World War Five Infinity."

I tilted my head, thinking of a reply before suddenly being interrupted by a thought, "This reminds me, I have to call her."

Without waiting for Natsu's reaction, I reached over to my pocket and snatched my phone; dialling in the familiar number.

Juvia answered within four rings.

"So," I began, "How you doing?"

"Shit."

I laughed and placed the phone on the blue table, putting the blue-haired girl on speaker.

"Right, you're on speaker right now. Natsu's with me. Where are you? How's first period so far? Where's Gray? Did you get bombarded? And what's happening?"

Gray's voice came up, "I'm right here. Drowning in paperwork."

Juvia sighed, "We're at the South building. We had just finished a meeting with the Cooking Club and some guy hit Gray with a spatula and we had to pause the meeting for five minutes because I was laughing so hard."

Natsu and I chuckled as she went on, "..Gray and I are now sorting out some paperwork—mainly meeting schedules and time slots. Gray's going to have a helluva' meeting with the Art Club and I'm excited to see his ass kicked. Which reminds me; you and Natsu are going to that one, right?"

I paused, "Yeah, I think we are."

"Right, and then we're going to have to sort out some crap with the radio station so we're heading to Central around third period. So, we're gone out by recess. Another meeting and more paperwork after."

"Can you meet up with the City Council when you're at Central?"

"I don't know, depends whether or not the radio station work is going to be extensive."

Natsu sighed, "I feel like I'm in the middle of a business meeting."

"You are, dumbass." Gray called out.

Juvia scoffed, "Anyway, we did get bombarded this morning. Did you see the crowds? You should have seen it early in the morning. I heard Erza, Kagura and Minerva were practically drowning. I spotted your crowd this morning too. Bigger than everyone else's, as expected."

I groaned, "You make it sound like it's a good thing. I have to deal with that everyday from now on, until the month ends."

"And we have to get our asses to the cafe everyday to catch up with everyone's status and Lisanna's dealings."

I wondered about the white-haired girl, "She's with Gajeel and Levy, right?"

"Yeah, since they're focused on Central this year. I have no clue what's happening with Yuki and the boys right now though. I really should."

I scratched my nose, "Don't worry, we're meeting up with everyone at the cafe anyway. And I'm fairly sure she texted me this morning saying they were at the East Wing, dealing with the usual parade dealings."

"Those guys never stay in the same spot for too long."

"Can you say anything about us?" I laughed alongside Natsu.

"Not a single word."—she paused—"We've gotta go, we need to inform our arrival at Central soon and Lord knows we'll get bombarded there as much we are here."

"Yeah, I know. Bye."

"Bye."

And she hung up.

Natsu and I sat peacefully for a mere few seconds; indulging in the warmth of the sun coming from the windows behind us. Eventually, I rose out of my chair.

"Let's go, my little stormtrooper." I held my hand out, looking down at the boy with his blue coat on, "We need to get our asses to the library."

Holding hands had become somewhat of a mutual thing between us; it was peaceful, it was fine and didn't seem to mean anything no matter how many looks we got from it.

Natsu groaned and whined, but he eventually took my hand, clutching his pen and clipboard like a little kid on a bring-your-child-to-work day.

* * *

 **Meetings, schedules, time slots and frames. Wow, student council does not screw around. Surprised this got over 2,800 words today. I'm happy about it.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for everything; reviews, followers and favourites. You make my day by 100x even though my goddamned wallet just got lost (money is still there, thank god.)**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Astir; (adj.) in the state of excited movement._


	19. Babel

The grand meeting scaled from either terrible or slightly okay—there was nothing in between.

I gazed blankly at the ceiling—not quite preferring to look at the chaos before me.

From what I had gathered so far; Juvia was standing on top of table, holding what she had proudly announced to be a bottle sprayer—unsurprisingly she spritzed anyone who annoyed her. Which meant everyone.

Surprisingly, Erza and Minerva remained calmed during the whole ordeal—seating absentmindedly on the seats. They were playing poker whilst Gray continued to try restraining Juvia—so far he had offered her $15 to get down—and Sting and the boys laid their heads sleepily on the table. Everything seemed to tiring yet it was only the second period. Natsu hummed silently whilst he spun his pen—he had gone through almost a stack of paperwork in the library.

I sighed, glancing at the red-headed girl, "Where's Kagura?"

"She's still in town. Lost a bet and had to do the paperwork at some shops around the East Wing." Erza explained.

I opened my mouth in understanding, "Oohh! Is that why you guys have bruises all over you?"

Erza nodded, "Yeah, she almost threw an entire clothing rack at me."

"What do you mean?" Minerva scoffed, "She _did_ throw a clothing rack at you."

Erza sighed, "Are we going to get the meeting on?"

I turned my gaze from the ceiling and stared at the room; it was crowded and chairs were stacked up in places it really shouldn't be. The Art Club members were fighting with the Swim Club. Cooking Club was sharing boxed lunches with all kinds of people, and not to anyone's surprise, Gray was half-naked.

I sighed again, "I guess we should."

Erza waved an arm towards Minerva beside her—the student council were seated in front of everyone—and Minerva looked on annoyingly.

"Announce it up." Erza nearly slurred.

"I'm not dealing with"—she gestured a hand towards the crowd—"these hyenas."

I sighed, "I guess I'll do it. Been doing it every year anyway."

And with that, I gradually stood, each split-second of movement accompanied with deep regret and second thoughts.

I sighed before clearing my throat; me standing was already enough to silence at least a small minority.

"People, let's all just shut up!" I yelled. My voice echoed and Juvia froze in her position—the chair she was about to throw froze in midair, much to many students' relief.

The room silenced with many eyes facing me. "Sit down."

And murmurs fell as students' finally began to take seats.

I fell back down, motioning for Erza to take the lead—I was too tired and hungry for the likes of commanding an entire station, let alone the station of all stations.

The red-headed girl stood and the room silenced even further. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted Natsu looking on intently as the girl stood. He had not seen Erza in action at all.

Erza spoke sternly, "If we could all compose ourselves for this meeting, that'd be lovely."

Silence as the red-headed girl continued, "This year, the Spring Festival will be focusing on day-to-day events. Some might remember that last year, we focused on the parade. And whilst the parade is still of importance, we would like to submit and slot in at least fifty events each day"

This earned attention.

"Fifty events and probably more, throughout 6:30am to 11pm, and of course 12pm on the third day. All clubs can offer a submission for an event."—she held up a piece of paper—"Write down a vague idea for your event and the club and we will discuss it in meeting in the next few weeks."

Juvia placed her hands on her hips and spoke from her position on top of the table, "Be sure of budget and time slots, people! Each event will be strict schedule-wise, so time slots are extremely dedicated. Keep that in mind when writing down your event!"

I yawned before tiredly facing the crowd to speak; "If you have any inquiries, contact me immediately through email—each president from each club should have those details."

Erza continued for me, "Right, Art Club, when is the estimated time you guys will be able to finish your displays?"

"Before the final week; this includes all sculptures, paintings and drawings." a voice called out from the crowd.

Erza nodded, "Cooking Club, how many stalls are you planning to build this year?"

"Twenty-five." a low voice called out, "Ranging from all the city areas. Five for each Wing and Central."

"Estimated building time?" Yukino suddenly perked up. Sting and Rogue were now busy typing on their laptops.

A short pause and silence filled the room. "….Four weeks."

This earned quite an uproar of murmurs accompanied by a face-palm from Juvia.

Voices erupted at this statement;

"Fuckin' shit!"

"That will take too long!"

"Do you want the festival to fail?!"

"Who said that?! I will fuckin' murder you with a spatula!"

"Just wait you bastards! We'll fry and season you with fuckin' pepper!"

Erza crossed her arms, motioning aggressively at the crowd to silence, "That's cutting it close."

"We are aware.." a woman called out. I realised she would have to be the president.

Gajeel's voice suddenly filled the air, instantly silencing the room, "Levy and I will help out your club with the stall building. We'll find some people to help you guys out."

Throughout the entire exchange of information, Natsu had evidently jotted down enough details. I grinned as I realised that the pink-haired boy seemed to _enjoy_ what he was doing. _I wonder if he's done this kind of thing before._

I smiled as the words left Gajeel's mouth, "If you don't find the right people, I have a good group in mind that can at least help them out enough to reduce their building time."

I knew four weeks was also a naivety.

Gajeel and Levy only nodded as Erza went on, "Alright. Book Club, how long will publishing go this year? In fact, I haven't even heard anything from the club yet so state any details."

A boy with glasses stood, "We will be publishing copies of two short novels from members. We've got a fellow manufacturer on our hands."

Minerva nodded at this, "Good. You've taken some work off our hands. You can discuss the stalls later. But for now; the estimated publishing completion?"

The boy gulped evidently slowly as his attention suddenly turned to the floor.

"…Three and a half weeks?"

And the room fell into chaos once again.

* * *

The rest of the meeting drowned in enhanced havoc; _enhanced_ because if this were a normal school, maybe a person will go about just punching someone, but this was Magnolia Academy—where nothing seemed too normal—and unsurprisingly enough, Cooking Club members had gotten immensely violent with their kitchen appliances. The student council watched on as the debate club proceeded to make arguments about everything. Art Club and Swim Team—both the representative clubs of Gray and Juvia—continued to fight, with no one quite knowing what they were actually arguing about. Natsu had shrugged and took a guess that it was about a type of barbecue sauce.

Eventually at times, noise would simmer down as Erza once again spoke—she had taken a quick break to finish a poker game with Minerva— and proceeded to glare at everyone.

It was Gray, however, who put things back to balance.

"About the radio station this year," he began, "Feel free to write up some announcements for club events and even song choices."

Juvia who was now seated—she got down at the offer of $25—nodded at this. "As everyone knows, Gray and I will be running the radio station again this year."

A wave of hands flew up the air as everyone yelled to inquire, Gray pointed to a girl seated near the front; she stood up.

She cleared her throat before speaking; "Can we record some announcements for ourselves?"

Juvia smiled, "You can actually even just send down someone in person if you want this year. We're planning to make the station even more accessible and personal towards crowds."

This earned excited chatter.

Yukino turned to face Erza, "We've created a rough draft of the first meeting schedule for the week. Sting's gone to pick up copies from the printer."

Erza sighed, "That's good. Rough drafts are good."

Minerva perked up, "Is it the end of the day already?"

I shook my head, "It's literally only second period."

This earned mutual disappointment and frustrated groans from everyone in the council.

Juvia eventually shot up, "That reminds me"—she turned to Gray, who was finally putting his shirt back on—"We need to get our asses to Central, Gray."

Gray pulled his head up to stare at the blue-haired girl, "Oh yeah."

"Are you guys going then?" I asked, scratching the tiniest itch on my nose.

"If this ass gets his ass up and running, then yes." Juvia nodded then yawned.

"We better go." Gray agreed as Sting emerged back into the room, clutching a short stack of paper.

"People! Here are the meeting schedules!" he suddenly announced.

Instead of handing them, Sting only threw his hands up in the air, letting the papers fly midair and into several different directions. Yukino's face fell into her palm as we watched steadily; it was his fifth year doing this.

"He ought to take things a bit more seriously sometimes." Yukino groaned.

"I doubt that's going to happen soon." Rogue muttered.

Students began to pick up the paper each—and so on the comments followed.

"Why is our meeting before the goddamned Cooking Club?!"

"The meeting doesn't fit with our time schedule!"

"Is this paper environment-friendly?!"

Sting yelled out at that one; "Yes it is!"

"Are we seriously having merged meetings with band?" another voice called out.

"If I have to have merged meetings with fuckin' Art Club, I will exorcise someone."

I sighed and yelled, "Shut up!"

Silence fell rapidly, and people sat down automatically. I realised I had almost sounded like Erza. _That's cool._

 _"_ As you all probably know but have clearly not registered through your head, these schedules are just rough. It's the most ideal schedule, but of course, not the most realistic. People with problems will have to state them during a club meeting." I almost roared, Erza nodded in approval.

A few more murmurs before Juvia finally stood alongside Gray, "We're off. Time to pull the curtains for now."

The rest of the council only nodded in agreement.

"This meeting is over. We hope to discuss further details in club meetings. Thank you everyone." Erza concluded, and everyone else in the room nodded and repeated a 'thank you' back as students scurried off.

And when everyone—Gray and Juvia included—eventually left the room, the silence filled the air alongside more exhausted and frustrated groans.

Levy eventually perked up, "Gajeel, we have to go."

"Yeah, I know." he breathed out.

"See ya, lovers." Sting waved, "Buy some donuts for us."

"Fuck no!" Gajeel whipped his head around as he strolled to the door.

Levy laughed, "We will."

Gajeel mumbled, "I'll find the fuckin' cheapest, I swear."

The black-haired boy continued to grumble until they were out of sight.

Sting high-fived and proceeded to do a 'bro-fist' with Natsu and a sleepy Rogue whilst Yukino and I muttered about more paperwork together in equal frustration.

* * *

 **I was literally suppose to upload this yesterday but I got late because I didn't have the time to write out the second half so I had to do it at school. And I was busy at school and I only had just realised that I hadn't uploaded it around last period and I was like 'fuck'.'**

 **Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that I'm busy almost every day, so I might drop an occasional day-off on drastic measures. I'm so, so sorry, and also, thank you so much for the people who have said that it's okay about the whole schedule thing. You are so sweet and god, thank you so much.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Babel; (noun) A confused noise made by a number of voices._


	20. Benign

Natsu slept peacefully on the train on the way to Central.

His head leaning against my shoulder out of pure habit and a light snore escaping his lips. I only shrugged—not quite caring about the intimate contact and being too exhausted to care—and continued double-checking even more paperwork, my eyes darting around mindless words as I flipped pages.

Throughout the day, the chaos only continued to ensue; Cooking Club's meeting was a mixture of arguments about pepper and stalls whilst Book Club continued to overanalyse the majority of the content in the books mid-meeting. Meeting schedules—as the pink-haired boy had learned—weren't the most easiest thing out there club-wise. Natsu didn't seem quite surprised as he had intended to be when he spotted Sting and Rogue working diligently and silently on their laptops. I only smiled at his _adaptive_ abilities.

Nothing stopped him from being quite exhausted at the end of the day. He had barely been able to stroll to the train, I had to carry him by the shoulders.

'Lucy," he slurred, head still glued to my shoulders, "F-food.."

"Natsu, you're not dying."

"I feel like it."

"Go back to sleep. We'll be at Central soon."

The pink-haired boy nodded silently as his eyes began to shut close.

He was still clutching his clipboard and pen. I couldn't help but grin at the sight as I flipped another page.

Halfway through the train ride whilst Natsu continued to snore, the blue-haired girl eventually called.

"Hi." she had greeted rather weakly.

"Worn out too, huh?"

I heard a low sigh, "Yeah, radio station was absolutely strict just as it always is. Gray's out cold."

"Where are you guys right now?"

"We're at the cafe. It's surprisingly not too busy right now. Gray's sleeping on the chairs like it's the asshole's own damn bed."

I grinned, "I'm not surprise"—I turned to stare at the pink-haired boy beside me and smiled—"Same thing for Natsu as well."

Juvia chuckled, "How was his first day?"

"A fuckin' nightmare, I can only imagine. Although he did really well."

"Yeah, I know." she gushed, "I saw him at the grand meeting and he actually seemed like he knew what he was doing. Impressive, don't you think?"

"I think he can actually hold some meetings by himself next week." I admitted, flipping through another page.

"How good was his notes?"

I smiled, reading the scribbled words, "Very good. Detailed, straight-forward. Awh, my little stormtrooper."

 _His handwriting is so cute too._

"That's great and all but now this dumbass beside me is the only one terrible at fuckin' paperwork in the council."

I laughed, "He's definitely not useless overall though, and you know that."

Juvia sighed, "Yeah I know. How he's got fifteen companies under his belt, I will never fuckin' know."

"Good outer appearance? Persuasive? Half-naked 80% of the time so the women swoon?" I suggested.

"I don't fuckin' know. Wait hold on—BASTARD, WAKE THE FUCK UP, WE'VE GOT PAPERS TO DO."

I chuckled as Gray began evidently muttering defences to preserve his slumber.

"You're so harsh on him."

"I'm harsh on everyone." Juvia corrected.

"I know. But just extra spicy on him, ya know?"

"You know why though, right?"

"Yeah," I smiled, suddenly lowering the papers and opting to stare mindlessly at the view outside the windows, "Anyway, we're on our way to Central."

"I've heard. I can't believe we've only gone through two periods at school and the rest just at Central. It's tiring having to drag the bastard out of shops in town."

"You say that, but Yukino and the boys are travelling between the North and East Wings every day." I sighed, suddenly picturing the trio in my head, "And not to mention Erza, Kagura and Minerva."

Juvia laughed at that one, "Sometimes, those girls aren't even in the city anymore. They'd be somewhere in Manhattan or something."

"I know. But even then, the real workload is in town." I gazed at the trees outside. _Green trees, so peaceful. I wish I was a tree._

"Damn, Lisanna didn't even show at school today. Just how busy is the council this year?"

I stared at the pink-haired boy, "Hey, hey, don't say that kind of crap. That's not Juvia."

She chuckled, "Yeah, I know. The end result is what gets up going and all that. Doesn't stop me from getting tired as hell any-"

My phone's screen abruptly changed and it took a second and half for me to realise that someone else was calling me.

I pressed 'recieve' but could barely press the device against my ear before Kagura's voice boomed instantly.

"Lucy!"

I was startled, "K-Kagura? What's wrong?"

"Is Erza with you right now? Do you know where she is?"

Her voice was evidently panicked, and it lead me to be more concerned than confused.

"Kagura, calm down." I breathed out, suddenly feeling movement from Natsu, "Erza is with Minerva. She's headed off to the East Wing because of some business. Have you called her?"

Kagura's voice still shook, but she had evidently lowered her panicked tone, "I have. She hasn't answered."

I nodded as if I were facing the girl, "I recall that she was complaining that her phone wasn't charged up well this morning, so it's probably gone off. What's wrong?"

A short pause, "..Okay, it's okay. I guess I was just panicking or seeing things. I'll tell Erza later. There's nothing wrong. Thank you."

I cocked an eyebrow hesitantly, admittedly wanting to know what the girl was suddenly so shaken and abrupt for; sure, Kagura had brawls just like anyone, but beyond even that, she was well-mannered and spoken and she maintained a strict yet calm attitude. But I didn't want to press on further in fear of hurting the girl.

I sighed, "..Okay. You promise you're okay?"

I could sense the girl smiling, "I'm okay."

We said our respective goodbye before she had hung up. Juvia's call had also ended and I could only bring myself to text her a vague explanation—not quite mentioning Kagura's outburst in the process.

The paperwork suddenly felt inferior against just shutting my eyes and dozing off.

And so I weakly shoved the work back to my bag and imagined that in some kind of universe, the train ride would never end and that Natsu would only continue to place his head against my shoulder as the evening passed on. A universe wherein within a click of a finger, work would be completed within a split-second and the days would only be filled with walks to the park, rented movies from the children's section and freshly-made bagels from the bakery.

The universe that waited patiently for a certain pink-haired boy and I's arrival back at the end of the month.

* * *

 **I'm drinking so much coffee these days, it's terrible and unhealthy and god, what is happening? I don't wanna rely anymore updates in the next few weeks, I hope I can manage my schedule. Did a lot of artwork in the weekend so I don't feel too guilty missing out on it daily. Still have a ton of schoolwork though. But I'm determined to keep updating every day.**

 **Thank you so much for reading; I love you reviewers, and you all know that.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Benign; (adj) Gentle and kind._


	21. Stark

The following days remained frantic, hurried, chaotic and yet, deliriously warm and bubbling with joy that seemed almost misplaced. I didn't quite find it in myself to resent or confuse it. Natsu and I had stayed at each others' place as always; on days that the pink-haired boy seemed worn out of his mind, he stayed at my apartment. He had found a talent for being able to find short periods of time to simply lay on the couch; arms sprawled in different directions, humming show tunes to himself, indulging in the warmth of the sun that gazed from the windows, and head lost in the clouds whilst grinning to himself and petting Happy.

It was all so tempting; watching the boy relax—even if it was only a few minutes—made me think of what would happen to my own mind if I simply sat down next to him, embracing the warmth of the sun for myself. I often wondered if the sun really was the only source of warmth, considering the pink-haired creature. In the midst of paperwork, schedules and entertaining-yet-dangerous meetings, the hot days spent doing the most simple activities such as washing the dishes with Natsu were like seconds that I would kill to rewind.

Currently, we were situated in my apartment; it was a weekend afternoon and soon we would be heading off to Central.

We remained busy even outside school—evident from many stacks of paperwork found in almost every corner of the living room. But it didn't seem to matter much now that Natsu had resolved to shut his eyes and hum a pretty tune.

Some enigma of feeling, it was. The peacefulness of the room couldn't help but offer me every bit of content. I was stirring my coffee, but my head only wandered elsewhere.

"Lucy." the pink-haired boy called out, his voice still drowsy.

I glanced at the pink-haired boy and realised his eyes were still shut, "Hm?"

"Have you drank your coffee yet?"

A pause, "…No?"

He finally flickered his eyes open and suddenly stared at me from across the room, "What's wrong?"

I cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"You've been stirring that cup for about ten minutes now."

I gazed back down my cup and the looming realisation of the time that had passed pierced through my mind. "Oh God, this is your fault."

The pink-haired boy laughed, "How the hell is it my fault?"

"You've just been looking very relaxed and it makes me feel like I should relax. But look,"—I held up my hands as if introducing the room—"we've got a fuckton of work to do."

"So, relax." he shrugged.

I sighed, finally holding my cup, my hands prickling from the warm touch, and taking a sip.

"I'm trying to."

"You're failing."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

"Why do you push this so hard?" he asked.

I cocked an eyebrow, "That's a terrible question"—I took a sip—"Erza, Kagura, Minerva, literally everyone pushes hard on this festival. We don't even drink anything for weeks because of this."

'Sounds hardcore."

I laughed, "I know we all seem like we're over on edge because of this. At that's because we are. I mean, Spring Festival has never gone haywire. Not even a single year."

"I still don't know." he muttered and I only smiled; Natsu had never seen the Spring Festival. Never seen the lanterns fill the sky or felt the atmosphere.

I sighed, taking another sip, "You've just..never seen the Spring Festival, my little stormtrooper. I can't even describe it."

I thought about my own statement briefly before truly realising that I really had meant it; the Spring Festival was everything all at once and it'd still dazzle you in the process.

"All this philosophical talk is making me hungry." Natsu suddenly muttered.

I laughed, holding my cup as I strolled to the pantry, "What do you want?"

"Hmm, is there still that bag of cheese chips?" he called out.

"Uh-huh." I snatched the bag, and in swift movement, I turned and threw the bag at the pink-haired boy's direction; it flew across the room pass the kitchen island. Natsu barely pulled his hands out as his eyes widened.

Having a bag of chips slam into his face wasn't Natsu's most glorious moment.

* * *

A piece of paper was on my face.

Actually I could _feel_ a piece of paper on my face. Although that really didn't add anything up and my head only spun. _Where the hell am I, actually?_

I blinked against the paper and for some dumb reason, my head continued to spin and hurt and _God, why the hell do I feel smashed?_

In my opinion, my tolerance of not drinking vodka on March was actually impressively high. I slid the paper off my face as my eyes met the ceiling. _What is the time, where am I? Am I drunk?_

I resolved that at least I wasn't drunk, that I was laying—why?—on the floor and that I was surrounded in stacks of paper. At least it wasn't a new thing that I was. My ears recognised the light snore and suddenly the memory of Natsu whining about wanting to continue the council work in his apartment snapped back through my head. I was at Natsu's and I quickly concluded from the darkness that it was already late.

I spotted the couch from the surface of the carpet and made out the outline of the pink-haired boy; he was still in his shirt and jeans, his hair was going insane—his low ponytail nonexistent as his hair fell—and he was laying with his whole body facing the ceiling. He slept like I had observed he always did; with a light snore and the most peaceful-looking face in the world. My lips curved as I spotted the black—almost blue—haired cat sprawled on his chest asleep, on top of a familiar clipboard. Natsu's left hand remained on Happy's back and unsurprisingly, below the couch was around four or five stacks of paper.

I was reduced to a smiling mess; my hair was going places too. I wondered how long it had been since we both passed out from exhaustion. There were mugs evidently previously filled with coffee nearly everywhere and two empty chicken noodle cups were placed on the centre table with their respective plastic forks.

I staggered as I got up. My legs were starting to feel a lot like lead. After a quick 360 degrees overview of the apartment, I closed off the window curtains that meet the floor—the city was already near pitch darkness—picked up a few mugs and threw them in the sink, turned a floor lamp on after a debate on whether or not the extreme brightness of the apartment lights would wake the cheerful pink-haired boy up. Except he wasn't real cheerful in his exhausted state; he looked tired, worn out and I could only smile when I realised it would have to be me when it came to heading over to the streets and buying the noodle cups the next day.

I strolled to the familiar hallway. Natsu's apartment was nothing new anymore. I knew of its atmosphere, its distinctive scent and the layout of the entire area. I liked it; the pink-haired boy's interior designing skills wasn't really anything significant but it was the creativity he had subjected. He hung up souvenirs from travels that would spark interesting conversations. He had a Metallicana poster stuck up on his wall—it wasn't his, it was some guy he met from a concert and he was drunk when he had randomly gave Natsu the poster after proceeding to do some folk dance then falling over then getting up, doing the dance for another eight minutes until he finally fully passed out and Natsu had to find his girlfriend and help her carry him to his apartment and apparently he seemed to have some kind of attachment to mozzarella—a random framed poster of characters from the Simpsons which was some kind of great find apparently from a charity shop in America, charcoal drawings from France from someone kind in the street doing art that Natsu had a drink or two with afterwards, postcards, a few more photos of himself in random areas—mostly with a random group of people each photo—and more souvenirs. There was also a potted cactus placed on a shelf as a shot at modern interior sophistication.

Shelves were stuck almost everywhere, with the peculiar contents; books, more souvenirs (one being a miniature whale which frankly gets him laughing every time), pencils that he had gotten from children, a few shells, random little treasures and I loved all of it. It was all like pieces of Natsu's soul that made him whole, because he was one of the few people of Earth that would treat a butterfly hairpin from a young girl from Taiwan like it was gold, or a few pencils given after a quick little drawing session with a person in France.

He had collected books from charity shops; he had apparently actually liked the way books from charity shops had some kind of old and nostalgic feeling to them. He took a few silly children's books; books with talking giraffes and animals and kids in christmas, and a few novels; some were horror and a few were old classics. He had picked them out at random with no real attention to what it was going to be about and he read them on vehicles—mostly trains where the track lead to someplace else; some place worthwhile where he would meet someone who would lend him amusement for the time being. No one would ever truly suspect Natsu of reading books for his time being—he sorta seemed like the type to just indulge himself to some game on his phone—but it was all mapped out for me. And Natsu didn't really analyse the books after reading, didn't try to question the meaning behind the description or the character's resolves—instead, he just enjoyed it as he went and I could see that. Because Natsu was Natsu and he seemed like the type to just try to live in what was in front of him rather than what was behind.

My legs had lead me in the pink-haired boy's room—plain bed and walls, which was unsurprising and surprising at the same time—and I swiftly pulled the blankets from the bed and headed back to the warm living room, closing the hallway door behind me.

Natsu remained asleep.

Clutching the thick blanket, I bended over to examine the pink-haired boy's face. His chest rising and falling so peacefully, it sent another unconscious curve down my lips. He looked content as the light of the lamp next to the couch hit his facial features; they were rather gentle-looking on closer inspection, now that his face was devoid of any wide grins, glares or whatever expression Natsu wore in his constantly rapid moods. I let my hand go to Happy's soft fur, suddenly feeling the need to be affectionate towards the unusually cheerful cat. Natsu and Happy seemed almost in sync; always looking for food and always cheerful. I had quickly informed the cat of my presence as his eyes flickered open.

"Hold on, Happy." I whispered so silently, it almost felt like I was just mouthing the words, "Natsu can't have a cold now."

The cat seemed to agree as he leapt off Natsu's chest, leaving only the clipboard and the pink-haired boy's hand on his chest. He had done it so gently, as if the cat was almost aware he needn't wake his owner. I lifted the clipboard and placed it on a centre table, afterwards spreading out the blanket and letting it cover the pink-haired boy. _Don't catch a cold, you idiot._

I smiled and resolved my next series of actions; as carefully as I could, I slowly lifted the upper half of the boy—he remained unaware as I placed myself on his head's former area, letting his head rest on my lap.

Thankfully, the boy only continued to snore. Happy took this as a signal to make his next move as he leapt back up to Natsu's chest, curling up beneath the blanket. I wondered how the cat would be if he could talk.

And then it is just us; Natsu, Happy and I. Residing in the couch with only the floor lamp providing yellow light and the silence accompanying us alongside the faint noises of the North Wing and Natsu's light snore. After slowly whipping my hair into what was suppose to be a top bun, I took a handful of paper from the short stack placed on the table beside the couch, flipping a page every minute or so, petting Happy in the process as the cat fell back in a lazy sleep. It was nearly 9pm.

I really should wake up Natsu. I really should remind him about how we desperately need to finish the paperwork on Monday if we don't want to get bombarded with angry clubs. I really should order some pizza so that he agrees to stay up late and do the work. I really shouldn't be quietly just checking the work on my own, letting the pink-haired boy sleep out of consideration. I really should allow myself to be a little mean considering my position in the council. I really shouldn't be smiling peacefully at the cat and the pink-haired boy. I really shouldn't be finding the peace relaxing. I really shouldn't be silently enjoying the few hours of quiet. I really, _really_ should wake up Natsu.

I don't sleep until 4am instead.

* * *

 **Oh Lord, the nalu chapters are here and I'm tired. Been dealing with friends and their boyfriends this week, that's cool. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I haven't got anything too nalu-centric after this, so indulge in it as much as you can. There's going to be quick nalu next chapter and that's it for this arc unless I somehow fit a tidbit somewhere between all this chaos. Gotta head to Melbourne on Monday, so not sure about the update by then. Schoolwork is all right. I need to do some photoshop for Humanities. Can you believe it? Goddamned Humanities.**

 **Anyway, I sorta wrote this chapter with Natsu deeply burning through my head. Because I understand that even if Natsu is this food-loving guy who's insanely strong and all that, he's actually really smart and I can't even describe how strongly I feel about this. The fandom is lacking in the actual Natsu appreciation. You can see in chapters that he can be serious when he wants to and some people just pass him off as this food-loving, fire-breathing protagonist. And he is. It's just that he's actually more than that too.**

 **Alright, thank you for reading as always. I love you reviewers.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Stark; (adj.) Severe or bare in appearance or outline._


	22. Vermeil

Natsu's back was rather broad. That was only a small thought that rummaged through my head because there was a million other thoughts trying to organise themselves.

We were on the couch, stretching out our legs as we sat back-to-back. We were both checking through another huge stack. It was like the work would never cease to end.

"Lucy." he called out.

"Yo." I replied, continuing to flip another page. _Goddamnit Cooking Club, will you ever get your schedules in fuckin' place?_

He suddenly laughed as I tilted my head and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

" _Yo._ " he repeated as if there was some kind of hidden meaning to it.

"What about goddamned _yo?"_

He laughed again, his body practically stifling against my back. "It's so..I don't know. I can't even fuckin' describe it."

I groaned, "Goddamn Natsu, you make me so confused. I thought 'yo' was now an acceptable thing to say? Hello, talk about discrimination."

He only continued to laugh as I grimaced and shoved a hand in a bag of chips, shovelling them in my mouth.

I sighed, "You got the meeting schedule for Art Club?"

"Uh-huh." he replied, he was chewing a liquorice, "They're scheduled on Wednesday, fourth period."

"Oh God, we are going to get our asses kicked." I slammed the papers I held against my lap and fully rested my head against the pink-haired boy's back in exhaustion. At least it wasn't too hot and the weather provided a little bit of wind.

"What is it with the goddamned Art Club all the time?" he asked through a mouthful of his own cheese chips.

"They're vicious." I nearly whispered, "I mean, it's fuckin' Gray's club. What do you expect?"

"Half-naked people running around with their paintbrushes?"

I chuckled, "That, and their fierce love for ice sculptures and murderous instinct."

"What a tragedy."

"I know right." I agreed as another handful of chips came rolling in.

"What's our schedule this week?" I asked after a short pause. Happy was meowing. _I gave you food literally only fifteen minutes ago, Happy._

"Hmm." he continued to bite off a bit of liquorice, "Monday we've got to help out book club and contact their publishing company, then we have meetings with the sewing club, the manga club, the volleyball team and we also need to get some grocery afterwards because we've run out of Doritos."

I nodded, "True. Go on."

He shoved another handful of chips in his mouth and I can't quite see him, but I could hear him doing so. Instead, I faced the wall with another one of Natsu's shelves instead. A copy of _The Outsiders_ was placed alongside the infamous cactus.

"Tuesday, we've got to go and visit some shops to confirm their statuses, that's what you said"—I nodded at this—"then we have another few meetings with the Pottery Club and Woodwork. And then more paperwork from Monday probably. And we need to get in contact with the people at track and field."

I groaned. Track and Field were aggressive, but Juvia could take care of that.

"Wednesday?" I asked.

Natsu went on, "Wednesday, we have the Art Club. And we need to talk to the East Wing train station and check up on building preparation. Sort out the song recommendations and announcements for the radio station and a quick meeting with the city council."

I sighed, "Not really a meeting. I'm guessing I'll just find a worthwhile member to give me the details. And I'm guessing the next two days are just gonna be chaos?"

"Pretty much."

We both sighed.

I eventually pulled my gaze off the shelf, "We need to get to the cafe right now too."

"Goddamnit, I was just starting to eat my fuckin' liquorice."

Natsu complained the whole train ride to Central.

* * *

The bell chimed as we entered from the front door and the familiar scent hit me without delay. Fairy Tail Cafe wasn't as crowded as it was during the first day of March, but nevertheless it still occupied its usual customers. Including Magnolia Academy's Student Council.

Although the window seat table wasn't quite as familiar. Once only occupied with sodas or cakes, the large wooden table was now almost filled with stacks of paperwork, folders and a two laptops. It wasn't quite surprising for the pink-haired boy and I as we were also carrying folders of paper, but it was to new customers that passed by.

Kagura and Minerva were discussing schedule event times whilst Erza remained quiet, engrossed in her paperwork.

Sting, still with a plate of cake, was now typing away on his laptop alongside Rogue. They were almost cryptic in their way of doing so that Natsu found the need to laugh upon seeing both.

Levy and Gajeel—the mix of either plain paperwork and hands-on work—were discussing whatever they were discussing. Levy was rather quick to multi-task however as she spoke with Gajeel whilst filling paperwork.

Gray and Juvia were a little bit odd on this occasion. Instead of doing work, they were simply eating what seemed like breakfast—eggs, bacon and toast—quick ravenously. Lisanna, studious and patient, remained flipping through pages of paperwork.

We headed towards the table—rather tired out ourselves—and sat down next to each other as we always seemed to do. Lisanna offered a cake, but I only declined as numerous bags of cheese chips eaten flew through my mind.

"What's with you two?" I stared at Juvia and Gray.

Gray groaned at the question as he continued to shove a mouthful of crispy bacon in his mouth and gesturing for Juvia to answer.

Juvia only glared, "We had to visit both the South and the West Wing last night and it took fuckin' forever and we had to stay up around 4am"—she turned to grimace at Gray—"because this fuckin' moron got us on the wrong train somehow and we had to miss a quick meeting and now we've got a fuckton of work to do"—she screamed briefly, much to no one's surprise—"and we didn't eat breakfast."

"So organised." Levy commented as she continued to jot down through papers.

"Holy shit," Gray whispered and groaned as he chewed, "I feel like I'm having a hangover."

Juvia fell her head back to the chair, "That's because you randomly fuckin' drank around eight fuckin' cups of orange juice this morning for no reason."

"Oh that's right. Because you fuckin' replaced all my fuckin' vodka with orange juice!" he yelled.

"It's March, dumbass. We do it every year and somehow you still scream about it every year." Juvia argued.

"Are you guys even doing any work?" Natsu blurted out, turning Gray and Juvia's attention to him.

"Goddamn Natsu," Gray scoffed, "I'm a living god. I've already finished all my fuckin' work."

Juvia whipped her head to face the black-haired boy, "No, you haven't fully yet. And anyway, what's this about with fuckin' you being a living god? Half of the time, you have no fuckin' idea what the fuck you're doing! I have to deal with your shit!"

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how much.."

Their argument faded into the background as Minerva explained for Natsu; "Juvia and Gray deal with a bit of the business side of things too."

"They're actually somehow pretty effective." Lisanna added.

"Of course, I am!" Gray yelled out.

" _We_ are _,_ you dumbass." Juvia corrected him.

I watched on intently; there was a certain red-headed girl rather unusually quiet. I wondered if Erza had any sufficient sleep in the following days. _Not that I can speak for myself._

"Are we going to get this shit started or not?" Gajeel interrupted.

Levy seemed to answer the question as she placed her file down, "Right then, who's up first?"

I nodded, "I will."

A bit of silence emerged.

I continued, "Right, we have only a few weeks to deal with the parade, but I'm assuming Yuki's got that handled?"

The white-haired girl nodded, "What do you need to know?"

I turned to the pink-haired boy who was chewing Lisanna's cake that I had declined, "Natsu?"

"Hmm." he began, "The time intervals, then club count, and then the overall estimated time."

Sting and Rogue answered;

"Time intervals will only be about two minutes." Sting said.

"So far the club count right now is thirteen and the overall estimated time can't be made with only thirteen clubs." Rogue added.

Sting continued for him, "But if we base on the average times of previous parades, it'd only go around twenty minutes or so."

"That's okay." I breathed out. _Twenty minutes should be enough if we add in the momentum with the radio station and stalls._

I continued, "Art Club's displays are going good?"

"We've got a shitton of work to display this year." Gray informed then smirked, "But I guess they're determined this year, so you can count a week for them to finish."

Juvia continued for him, "And the display building will take another week as well."

I laughed. Art Club was always somehow too determined. "Stall building is really going to kick up a notch soon too."

"You bet it is." Kagura laughed.

Minerva smiled, "As soon as we get all the club arrangements in check, we're going to kick these guys' asses."—she turned to the red-headed girl—"Right, Er?"

Erza took a moment to process the sudden question. She really was just a little off. "Huh?"—it seemed to suddenly process at this point—"Oh, yeah. Yep, we are."

A brief silence. Erza noticed then, "Sorry, I'm haven't slept at all this week." she apologised as Gray only chuckled.

I shoved the sudden behaviour away, "That's okay. We're all like that this month."—I turned to face the rest again—"Anyway, does anyone know what Cooking Club is doing this year?"

Lisanna perked up, "They seem to be wanting to collaborate with the cafe this year."

This was news to everyone including myself. "Really?"

Lisanna laughed, "I mean, it's Cooking Club. They're always doing _something_ each year."

Juvia laughed wildly, "Does everyone remember when Gray fuckin' spilled one of their soups last year?"

This earned laughs around the table. Even Natsu, who hadn't seen it for himself. But I guess any news that involved Gray fucking up was funny to him.

"Fuckin' chicken fuckin soup." the black-haired boy only muttered in dismay.

I chuckled, "That's good if they're collaborating this year. Do you know what they're planning?"

Lisanna shrugged, "No clue, actually. But we'll be hearing from them later, so I'll tell you the details soon enough."

I nodded, "That's about it for Natsu and I."—I shrugged—"Someone go on."

Kagura took the opportunity, "Has anyone goddamned got any contact with the publishing company the Book Club has gotten?"

Gray held up his hand, "Juvia and I are taking care of that!"

Kagura nodded, "Okay, then that's been taken care of. We've just gotten a bit of contact with the East Wing and their stall building is going early."

Sting raised his hands in frustration, accompanied with face-palms from Yukino and Rogue, "Fuck! We're suppose to get that shit sorted out because of Central's collaboration!" the blonde-haired boy exclaimed.

Rogue sighed, "I'll contact them."

He whipped his phone out as Kagura continued, "Right then, does anyone have contacts with the East Wing's train station? I'm a little worried about that."

I sighed, "I think Natsu and I will have to deal with the trains this year."

"You don't have to." Juvia suddenly protested, "Gray and I do it every year."

I glanced at the blue-haired girl, "It's okay. Gray and you have to deal with the Art Club this year. You know they're going hardcore as ever so they need all the support they can get with the displays."

"True." Minerva agreed. Rogue was still on his phone, now talking to what I assumed was the East Wing's City Council members.

"What do you think, Gray?" Juvia sighed.

The black-haired boy shrugged, "I dunno."

He earned a slap to the arm as well as Sting from Yukino. The white-haired girl scolded the blonde for not informing the East Wing.

Levy had suddenly lost sight of an important document from the West Wing and Gajeel followed in her panic.

Erza remained dazy and restless as Kagura and Minerva began an argument on other collaborating Koharu schools in the parade.

Natsu shrugged and continued to eat what was suppose to be my cake.

* * *

 **So I wanted to update this today because I can't update on Monday because I'm heading to Melbourne and I actually might want to enjoy myself every once in a while. It's literally only one day but I love that city so I will make the most out of it.**

 **So yo, I've been getting asks if there will be smut (hahahah, never gonna get over it by the way) in CC, and I'm so sorry to disappoint anyone, but there will be no smut. Firstly because, this story has got a lot of plots happening (soon) and as much as I love a good lemon chapter, I'm not one to give in CC's arcs and plots in favour of it. As for me writing it, that'd be a problem because literally I will laugh through the entire chapter and it will not be serious and holy shit, you can literally ask anyone but me for the sexy. Because goddamn, I'll either make it so blunt or make it too emotional and either way I'll just laugh. Another thing is that even if there were to be smut, it's gonna be a lot of chapters away. But i'm not even gonna elaborate on that. And one more thing; there's way too little appreciation of the inside characters of both Natsu and Lucy. I really don't wanna just put them on that type of scenario without baring out their personalities and own problems. Otherwise, I feel like it'd just be putting two characters with no perspective in each other and themselves in a bed to basically get it on with. But I understand that some writers do that, and most of the time, it's perfectly fine. Just harmless fun writing. But I want to do a bit more in CC.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviewers, you are so sweet.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Vermeil; (noun) Gilded silver or bronze._


	23. Alembicated

There's some kind weird omen on Koharu Tuesdays that miraculously makes the weather turn a bit sunnier than usual.

But that wasn't exactly what Natsu was caring about whilst we walked through the streets of the East Wing on Tuesday afternoon straight after second period.

"Are we lost or fuckin' what?" he repeated for the fifth time.

I groaned, "Goddamnit Natsu. We've only gotten through eight minutes here and you've been asking that a billion times."

"You're just afraid to admit we're lost!" he argued, grinning. He was terribly wrong, but I could only roll my eyes.

"I've lived in Koharu long enough and walked through these streets a million times to know where the fuck I am going."

"RIghto'." he grumbled.

I laughed, "Just eat your food, will you?"

He grimaced, "You know what? I fuckin' will."

I chuckled before continuing to lead the way. East Wing was an urban area, in my opinion. Full of cafes, hipster shops and tiny bars that rivalled with Central's own. It was growing popular by the day, although I could never find it in me to favour it over the likes of North Wing.

Natsu seemed to have read my mind, "This place is so.."

He faded off and I laughed. "Avant-grande?" I offered.

He laughed, "Yeah. Gray and Juvia live here?"

"Yep."

"I don't know if I should be surprised."

"Neither."

Natsu briefly grinned and nodded before turning and grinning widely; "An ice cream shop!"

I whipped my head, and most definitely, my eyes landed on 'Pete's Ice Cream'. A giant logo plastered before the white brick building.

"We're not getting ice cream." I announced.

"Yes, we are." And with that, the pink-haired boy pulled my wrist—rather gently—towards the building. I naturally restrained.

"Natsu, we are going to a quick meeting with the city council."

"Yeah, I got that."

"No, you haven't got that."

"I don't know what you're objecting for then."

"I just said! We're going to a meeting with the city council!"

"And?"

I only sighed and gestured my hands wildly towards the boy, "You're wearing a fuckin' suit as we speak, Natsu."

"I could say the same thing for you." he laughed, "By the way, you look good."

Sure enough, we were both wearing black suits. Natsu's suit was surprisingly sharp and it seemed rather well-fit. The fact that he even owned a suit was rather impressive as well—I thought first-hand that we'd have to buy him one or get one lent from Gray, who would be happy to just get rid of clothes in general. I wore a blouse tucked by a tight matching black skirt and blazer. I was strangely adept in heels too. Overall, it was a relief that we didn't look like Doritos-eating idiots, at the very least.

"Yeah, okay, thank you, you look good too. But that doesn't mean we're getting ice cream whilst wearing suits, on our way to a meeting with the city council."

"What does the East Wing City Council Members have any objection to ice cream?"

"The fact that we'll look ridiculous."

He pointed out his index finger, "Incorrect. They're just jealous."

"Dream on."

"There's a choc-chip flavour and a strawberry-vanilla, I don't know what you're wasting your breath for."

"My dignity."

"You lost your dignity a long time ago." he smirked.

"That's not a nice thing to say."

"Speak for yourself. You're telling me not to eat ice cream."

"You're telling me I don't have my dignity."

He threw his hands up midair; "You don't have your dignity!"

"I don't like it being straight-forwardly told to me."

"So you have lost your dignity!"

"And what does that say?"

He seemed to have lost his cause mid-argument. "…We should get ice cream?"

I looked into his eyes and he looked through mine. And he doesn't have to do any kind of face at all for me to give up.

"You're paying." I barked.

"Of course I am."

* * *

He gets me the strawberry flavour whilst he licked on choc-chip.

"I saw it too, you know." he suddenly said.

I cocked an eyebrow, "You saw what?"

'Erza. What happened to her?"

I paused before replying, thinking slowly about my answer, "Don't worry. Erza gets pretty overworked during festival season. Nobody really sees it, but everyone knows. She hardly gets any sleep just like the rest of us."

Natsu seemed like he wanted to press further, but decided against it. "I guess."

I laughed, "You know, you've really gotten along with her over this past month."

He held an annoyed look, "I do not!"

"Aw, you're so sly." I smirked, "You're just too shy to admit it."

A pause between us occurred.

"A sister figure." he finally huffed, "She's a bit of a sister figure, okay? That's it."

I sighed and smiled warily, "..Siser figure, huh?" I muttered, suddenly noticing the slight hitch through my heart. _I guess Erza and him do get along pretty well. But what the fuck was that about?_

I shoved the thought away rapidly enough to bring up some kind of new subject at the top of my head. We were nearing the small mini council building.

"So, how do you like being in the council?"

"Pretty fuckin' tiring actually."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Really? You're actually doing well off. Better than I ever expected."

He laughed, "Were you expecting me to laze around on my ass the whole day?"

I nodded, "Pretty much."

"God!" he grinned, "I'm not that lazy!"

"You told me to change the TV channel once because your one hand was petting Happy and your other was stuffed in a bag of chips."

He pulled his hands up, accompanied with a genuine look of wonder and fascination, "The concept of energy conservation."

I went along anyway, "Ah, the energy conservationists. I hear you guys are a cult."

"We are. We are growing, one by one. We'll take down the optimism, and probably resurrect Whitney Houston somehow."

"Why Whitney?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. She just came up all of a sudden."

"Who's your leader?"

"Probably Snoop Dogg."

"Isn't he a lion now?"

"He can be a cheetah if he wanted."

"What about an antelope?"

"What do antelopes do?"

I paused, "I don't know, I think they jump around and try not to get eaten by the lions."

"How do they jump? Like bunnies?"

"Are you imagining Snoop just frolicking in the fields, jumping like a bunny?"

"No." he declared, "I'm imagining him frolicking in the fields, jumping like an antelope."

"Do we even know if antelopes really jump?"

"Wait, why are we even thinking of him as an antelope? Didn't I say he was definitely a cheetah?"

"Yeah, but cheetahs are fast and always running, right?"

"Yeah. And?"

"Isn't Snoop always high somehow?" I asked, thinking rather intensely about the rapper.

"Not always!" he scoffed, "At least, I don't think so."

"He literally has a song called 'Smoke Weed Everyday'."

"Maybe he's just a cheetah always running into trees."

"Majestic but stupid at the same time." I realised it was a great definition for Natsu. I tucked it inside a mind file consisting of smart things to say in the future.

"He probably thinks the tree is meat too."

"Vegan cheetah."

He paused for a minute before turning to me; "Maybe you're right. He'd be better off as an antelope."

"Vegan antelope."

"With shades on."

I laughed, "He'd be a ridiculously sassy antelope. Just strutting his stuff with shades on and the whole vegan look in front of cheetahs."

"Won't the cheetahs eat him?"

"He can probably convert them to being vegans as well." I explained.

"This conversation actually makes a great conclusion and moral." he muttered.

"What?"

"Snoop Dogg can help save the environment."

I laughed for a whole minute, confusing Natsu. He whined as I wiped a tear off my face to look at him dead-set serious in the eye and whispered;

"Energy conservation can help save the environment."

* * *

East Wing's Council meeting tires both Natsu and I, no matter how professional it may have been. With no fights, no spatulas and no club rivalries, the event was set to be a pleasant experience. But Natsu whispered about forgetting his pen, energy conservation, and at some point, how he felt about mushroom pizza. He does very well nonetheless; taking notes easily and never seeming to miss a word from other members no matter how much he apparently didn't like mushrooms. I continuously slapped arm lightly, trying desperately to shut up him up and listen in to what exactly was going on with the shop revenues during the festival.

It didn't help that we had showed up with nearly-finished ice creams whilst muttering the words 'energy', 'environment', 'vegan', and 'cheetah' in conversations. Which lead to a member of the council to think we were hardcore vegans—delighting them as they talked about how they had not encountered any vegans in the area. Natsu's response consisting of 'I eat beef jerky almost every day' did not really improve things.

By the time the meeting finished, school has already ended.

We were now situated in Juvia's apartment—a tiny and well-decorated one-bedroom area with a pleasant and well-kept kitchen and living room, overlooking the shopping streets—and drinking coffee as the blue-haired girl and black-haired boy were in front of us, standing firmly behind the kitchen island, skimming through stacks of paperwork.

"How was the meeting?" Juvia asked, taking a bite from her baked chocolate cookies. The scent of chocolate was filling the air. It was delightfully intoxicating.

Gray pointed at Natsu as he leaned against the island, "Did this fucker fuck shit up? I bet he did."

I chuckled, "Not really, actually. But he was talking about mushroom pizza mid-meeting."

"Shop revenues and mushroom pizzas." Juvia laughed, "Nice combination."

"I know, right." Natsu nodded as he reached out for a cookie, "It's a good mix but Lucy kept hitting my arm."

"At least you stayed in your seat." Juvia sighed, "Gray stripped on top a table once. I got him down before he could reach to take off his pants."

Natsu and I laughed as Gray groaned; "You're just never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Juvia eyed the black-haired boy, "Not really, even if it was sorta my fault."

Natsu tried to stifle his laughs, he was failing terribly, "What's this about?"

Juvia explained; "He did it when he was massively hungover from a night I can only tell you consisted of a fuckin' Spanish dance, a sombrero, a baseball bat and a fuckin' ad song. I got him up and told him we had to fuckin' go to the meeting quick.."

I laughed even harder, remembering the day almost too clearly.

Juvia continued, "Next thing I know, mid-way through the morning meeting, dumbass thinks he's still in bed and gets up on the table, thinking he's going to a shower."

Juvia takes a sip of her coffee and glares at Gray whilst Natsu and I howled of laughter. The afternoon was setting down and light glared through the apartment windows just a little gently. We take a moment to appreciate the peace as we continued to sip our coffees and chew on chocolate cookies. Natsu and I had stacks of paperwork to come home to.

Juvia sighed happily and broke the silence, "You know, I really am so excited for the festival."

Gray scoffed but grinned, "You're like that every year."

"That's because it gets better with each passing year." the blue-haired girl protested.

"I know what you mean." I agreed, grinning at the other girl, "Spring Festival is amazing."

Natsu perked up, "And here am I. Not having a single clue what you people are going on about."

Gray scoffed, "You just don't have a single clue in general."

"Hey," Natsu warned rather lazily as he leaned against on the island on his chair, "Don't pick a fight with me now. I'm in a good mood."

Gray cocked an eyebrow, "I thought you were always up for a fight?"

"I would, but I've got a shitton of paperwork to do tonight and Lucy"—he pointed towards me—"will fuckin' kill me if I don't do it."

Gray opened his mouth of laugh but decided against as he realised his own demise, "Oh yeah, this woman"—he pointed towards Juvia—"will kill me too."

They sighed in mutual defeated bro-hood.

"Awh, look at them." Juvia cooed, "They're such rebels and bros and gangstas."

I chuckled.

"Gangstas with chocolate-chip cookies."

* * *

 **Literally I'm so terrible right now, I'm so sorry about not updating on Tuesday! I've been dealing with bitches in friendship groups (not that I'm even giving a fuck about them right now) and the usual school subjects; this week namely being ceramics. Although I'm avoiding that this week too due to the right circumstances.** **God, some people can be so dumb at my school.**

 **I was held up by my schedule, my tiredness and also the fact that I've gotten busy mapping out the story arcs and plot lines again.**

 **I'm so tired, I haven't slept at all lately. By the way, the trip to Melbourne was just goddamned amazing and breathtaking and I just really love that place. I live a few hours away and I don't care about those hours, I would travel their everyday if I could.**

 **Thank you for reading. All my reviewers make me happy, you should know that by now.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Alembicated; (adj.) (Of an idea, expression or style) Excessively subtle or refined._


	24. Cajolery

The red-headed girl was sprawled lazily on the couch—a similarity she held with Natsu. Minerva and Kagura were in the kitchen—cooking up something they promised wasn't burned—whilst Natsu and I sat in the stools, holding mugs of coffee and in Natsu's opinion and Erza's agreement, acting like therapists.

It was Saturday and it was fairly windy outside. Natsu and I headed our way to Erza and Kagura's apartment upon their request. We had spent a good late afternoon going through the daily stacks of paperwork. And with the faithful collaboration of coffee and banter about who Mirajane should go out with—Natsu actually participated even—the piles were finished impressively within an hour or two.

The redhead continued to contemplate as she had been the past half an hour;

"God, I'm so tired." she yelped.

I nodded, followed with an understanding grunt from the pink-haired boy, "Go on."

"And I haven't got any sleep at all." she sighed. She had been doing this for a while now.

"So, you should sleep." Natsu suggested.

Erza almost strangled him, but I prevented further hostility.

"I'm trying to!" the redhead protested, "But you know it's Spring Festival! I never follow my own fuckin' advice, oh god, fuck this, fuck me. Where is the goddamned food?"

I glanced briefly at the stairs, wondering about the two girls below who were apparently cooking.

"They should be up soon." I shrugged, "You shouldn't push yourself too hard on this, Erza."

"I'm aware." she sat up, gazing at the wonder that was the carpet beneath her, "But you never follow your own advice as well, don't you?"

She stared at me, and I laughed. "Pretty much."

What came after was a few more patient sips of coffee and quiet re-flips through paperwork. Natsu didn't seem like the type to quiet down, but I had learned rather quickly that he at least _could_. He preferred coffee over tea or any other beverages—a trait we shared—and once silenced, he worked easily through stacks of paper.

"Have you guys gotten through the meetings so far this week?" the redhead asked suddenly.

"Yep. Fuckin' got run over by a crowd yesterday." Natsu grumbled and Erza laughed.

"You get used to it." the redhead smiled at the boy.

"Getting run over? No fuckin' thanks."

Any further conversation immediately fell when two familiar voices boomed increasingly loud from what I suspected was mid-way through the stairs.

"You almost burned it, you know." Minerva muttered.

"I cook better than Sting." Kagura argued.

" _Everyone_ cooks better than Sting."

The two girls appeared from the stairs; Minerva carried a large bowl of fried rice in one hand and a few plates on the other whilst Kagura carried a tray with a kettle, a container of coffee beans and a few mugs of pre-made coffee.

"Oh thank God." Natsu sighed of relief, "I'm starved."

"You're not eating everything, Natsu." Kagura warned.

Natsu grumbled, "I'll fuckin _try._ "

This seemed to have snapped Erza out of her exhausted state successfully, "Oh, you'll do more than just try."

Natsu tried to hide the fact that he was gulping of fear. He was failing.

Kagura and Minerva only laughed, "Let's just eat and see how much you plan to stick to _trying."_

So we did.

* * *

We all held plates filled with half-eaten fried rice. The flavour bursted through my mouth and I appreciated food made from the kitchen than from the convenience store for once. Eventually, I noted that I should start looking up some recipes soon.

Kagura held her spoon in midair, "So, first thing's first; how's the shop revenues going?"

Natsu answered, "They'll be pretty high as estimated this year apparently."

I continued as he went back to stuffing himself with a mouthful of rice, "City Council really wants to boost up some new shops that have opened since this year. I'm thinking I should get in contact with the business power duo to deal with that in the radio station this year."

Erza sipped on her coffee. She had finished her plate before everyone else. "Gray and Juvia should be able to handle it."

Minerva chuckled, "Is there anything those two can't handle, really?"

"True." Kagura nodded in agreement then turned to me, "How's the Art Club displays? Are we all set to help them out with the display building?"

I went on as Natsu sipped on his coffee, "Just the last batch is going to be done this week. Count on Monday actually. Display building should start pretty soon."

Erza went on; "That's good. I can schedule them next week. We're going to finally start stall building by that time as well."

Kagura sighed, "It's going to be rough for us. Cooking Club is set on five stalls for each Wing and I don't even know how they're going to handle that physically."

Natsu suddenly perked up, "The iron fuckin' bastard and Levy are apparently helping them out."

Erza's attention turned from her coffee to the current subject; "And what about the likes of cost? Budget?"

I answered, "Natsu and I emailed the main city council members. Looks like they're willing that fill that in. Cooking Club is already pretty well-known and covers 80% of food stalls in the festival."

"And the fact that they're not risking dealing with both Gray and Juvia's anger right now." Minerva added.

"Or you, Er." Kagura turned to the redhead who only laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with subtle persuasion." Erza proclaimed and I wondered what her definition of subtle was.

"Gray, Juvia, Erza and also the fact that Gajeel looks like he could kill you any second." I added, chuckling about the stark contrast between how he acted towards Levy and how he acted towards other humans not Levy.

"Levy looks like she could overthrow any government if she really wanted with that knowledge of hers." Erza threw in.

"Yukino is the same with Gajeel except she can also look like an angel." Natsu mentioned, "That kinda makes her even scarier."

I laughed, "What about Sting and Rogue?"

Minerva answered, "Sting is just naturally persuasive. He gets any of us drunk even if we didn't want to. Rogue can also look like he could overthrow the government."

"Lisanna can persuade anyone with her smile, I think." Erza sighed.

"So that leaves Lucy and I." Natsu breathed out.

A short pause filled with thoughts.

"I think you guys are just like.." Kagura trailed off.

"Kinda like naturals, right?" Minerva suggested.

Erza was the one with a conclusion, however. "I'm pretty sure you guys don't need a reason for people to agree with you. They naturally feel obliged to go with the flow when it comes to you guys."

"A great power." Natsu nodded dramatically, "I'm going to use my natural ability to fuck shit up."

Everyone else sighed in disappointment, but it was followed by laughter. The bowl once filled with fried rice was now empty.

"You know," Minerva perked up, "Speaking of the business power duo, where are they? And everyone else?

"I haven't seen everyone together in ages." Erza sighed, almost sadly.

I nodded, "Gray and Juvia are off at Central, probably threatening people. Yuki and the guys are dealing with a ton of paperwork they pushed back till now. Lisanna's apparently doing meetings with the Cooking Club for the cafe. Gajeel and Levy are loading up some materials from East Wing."

"Already?" Kagura breathed out.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed, "They have to push back earlier because of the stall arrangements already being in place. I mean, Yuki and the boys do their work fast."

"She must be screaming at them 24/7 now." Kagura chuckled then paused, "Oh wait, she was doing that even before March."

This earned laughs until I sighed, "You know what I'm worried about though?"

Natsu grinned, "Let me guess; the classical music club's declaration of war?"

Erza's face landed in her hands and the other two girls groaned, "Another declaration of war?"

I nodded, "The ever-so-elusive main event until the fireworks. They planned on it first thing and I don't know how to tell the president she's begging for a death wish."

"Ah, the new president, Amelia, was it?" Kagura pointed out.

"Yep."

A wave of exhausted sighs emerged.

"Are you guys checking out the stall building next week?" Erza asked.

Natsu nodded and I replied, "Yeah, we have to check up on the groups. Please let there be a balanced amount this year so I can die in peace."

"Dying in peace." Erza sighed, her tiredness was now slowly creeping out yet again, "That seems so far away from reality."

"Fuck no, I'm not getting philosophical about this." Minerva waved out her arms as if she was caught.

Erza laughed, "No! It's not that. God, you all know I'm just fuckin' tired!"

Kagura only smiled warily, "I know."

"God, if you women start up some emotional talk, I'm going." Natsu muttered then casually drank his coffee.

Not casually enough to prevent Erza from attacking him whilst Kagura, Minerva and I only sighed. Natsu was left barely unscathed. And he grumbled the whole way back home whilst I thanked the girls for the food.

Natsu chewed angrily on the baked muffin Kagura gave him and I on our way back. Erza had apparently baked them earlier in the week.

I grinned as the pink-haired boy's brows furrowed and he stomped as we walked like a little child being furious over their favourite teddy bear.

"How's the muffin?" I eventually asked.

He chewed even angrier.

"Really fuckin' good."

* * *

Yukino, Sting and Rogue sat down in the distant cafe. From a distance, they seemed like they were arguing, but up close, they were ready to murder each other. Yuki and the boys—much like Gajeel and Levy, somewhat—are known to be more of a hands-on group. They scour Koharu City, charming people with their trio dynamic and get them to agree and co-operate, although they still remained cryptic when launched onto the universe of spreadsheets, meeting schedules and time slots. It was a rather fascinating yet terrifying combination, but they needed to make Sting's natural talent of persuasion benefit for them.

But more than anything, they were the least used to stacks of paperwork in front of them. Which was quite the main reason why Natsu agreed to travel all the way to West Wing—to unravel a pile of paperwork for Sting and Rogue, effectively making them suffer.

Natsu howled of laughter as the two boys stared at the piles, alongside everyone else in the dainty little West Wing Cafe. It was no FT Cafe, but everyone had their own little go-to place in their respective Koharu regions; Natsu and I's being Anya's.

"God fuckin' damnit." Sting groaned, "I'm never going to get through this pile."

He had spent only approximately fifteen minutes on his first stack.

Yukino glared, 'That's because you're saying that every five seconds."

"That can't be it." Rogue suddenly said, "Because I hear him every second and I'm never going through my pile if he keeps going."

Natsu smirked, "Welcome to my world, bitches."

Sting rivalled his smirk, "You've only been here for a month."

This earned a challenging glare from Natsu, "I've got through more manly paperwork than you've ever gotten through, homeboy."

I interrupted before the cafe owner could worry about damage costs. "Morons, will you just get on with your work?"

Sting shot Natsu another glare as he sat back down and flipped through a page, whilst Natsu poked out his tongue. Yukino groaned and suddenly punched Sting's arm out of nowhere—he didn't even have the motivation to protest. He seemed like he was just used to getting slammed by her in general.

After a brief few minutes of occasional conversation and a few shared laughs, Yukino hands over her pile.

"Lucy," she smiled, "These are all good to go. I'm done."

"Oh fuck, Yuki, no!" Sting cried out as she stood to order a dessert. The rule given—proudly and excitedly by Natsu—was that they could only buy anything once they finished their work.

It was quite rude to just stay seated in the cafe without really ordering anything first-hand, but from the fact that Sting and Natsu went through a mini brawl, Rogue ranted aggressively at Sting, and Yukino lost it at all of them at some point—it didn't seem like there as anyone in the cafe willing to risk having to pay medical bills.

I tell all four of them this when they eventually finished their work.

Natsu scoffed, "That's what insurance is for."

Sting objected; "No. That's what a plane ticket to Brazil gotten from savings that was suppose to be for food is for."

"You have savings?" Natsu teased the blonde.

"For food, yes." Sting answered seriously and my face—alongside probably the others—fell to my palm.

"I don't think I'm that scary." Yukino muttered eventually and I wondered what her definition for scary was.

Sting choked on his sundae and laughed for a whole twenty minutes.

* * *

"Any rivalries going on with the parade this year?" I asked suddenly.

"Just one, actually." Rogue answered.

Yukino went on; "The West City Council wants to build a mini garden for its representative region float this year, but South wants a similar idea."

Natsu laughed, "Is that it?"

"Some people get very feisty over this kinda stuff, especially on Spring Festival." Sting explained, now calm from his outburst. Too calm. _I wonder if he overcalmed himself because Yuki told him she'd call the police if he wouldn't shut up?_

"If any Koharu Wing should get a garden float, it would have to be North." I protested, "We have the City Park!"

"That's what I kept telling them, but they were just too wrapped up." Yukino sighed, "Although, I guess I can't really complain; you guys have war on your side of things."

She stared at Natsu and I with a guilty look and I realise that Yukino had only recently just joined the council two years ago.

"Don't worry!" I smiled, "If things do go bad, that's what I have Juvia for. That's why we all do."

"That sounds like you're scumming off her." Natsu laughed and I followed.

"Ms. Lockser is quite the.." Sting trailed off.

"Very persuasive." I offered, "In her own way, of course."

"Let's just call it that, I guess." Sting grinned.

"Are you guys good to go and check up on the stall building this week?" Yukino asked.

"Yeah, apparently it's going to be hectic with the Cooking Clu-"

I didn't get to finish because Rogue slams his fist on the table suddenly.

"Goddamnit Cooking Club! Not again!" he held both hands to his face whilst Sting tried to confront the agonised boy.

Yukino sighed, glancing at the black-haired boy then back to Natsu and I. "Sorry, Cooking Club's stressing him out lately."

I chuckled, "Oh, Cooking Club stresses everyone out."

"Five stalls for all the five main regions. They're hardcore." Natsu whistled.

"They're just very determined." I pointed out, "We'll just have to soldier on."

From evidently hearing this, Rogue face-plants the table helplessly and groaned. Which caused Sting to sigh as he look on exhaustingly. Yukino tried to remain looking positive but her eye bags are visible and I know so are mine. Natsu whined because he was even more hungry and my eyes met the ceiling.

The whole cafe stares at us.

* * *

We eventually head our way back home after a quick goodbye to Yukino and the boys.

Natsu and I remained quiet because I'm too tired to speak and evidently, so was he.

We talk about bagels, food, swaggers, bench adoptions and Jack Dawson. But only in our heads. Everything was tucked away neatly. The silence was my peace and his. I knew that, but I wasn't quite sure myself how I got my hands on the information. I guess it's just how we never really seemed to mind and how we mischievously understood each other's thought sometimes.

I wonder for a brief moment if I had thrown myself in a universe of exhaustion for the sake of letting the Spring Festival just go on or letting the Spring Festival go on just for Natsu to see.

My eventual decision is blurred as we boarded the train and Natsu's head fell on my shoulders and my own fell in his bundle of pink hair.

I conclude that I don't mind things blurring.

* * *

 **So, a few readers have caught on to the change of style of the chapters. As I've mentioned before; this arc is intentionally written to be a little episodic. There's going to be some stuff happening, but for now I'm sticking to light-hearted chapters. Mostly because I'm extremely busy in schoolwork and I'm starting to finely detail the next few chapters out. I apologise for errors this chapter; I'm serious when I say I haven't even got any decent sleep at all this week. It's 12am here, I'm trying my best to update everyday. I don't even know if i'm going to have the physical energy to write tomorrow's chapter. We'll have to see. I wanna sleep so bad, goddamnit.**

 **Thanks you so much for reading.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Cajolery; (noun) coaxing or flattery intended to persuade someone to do something._


	25. Recrudesce

The sky wasn't even awake.

There's a certain feeling related to my experience and it's not awfully self-explanatory so I guess I'm having a go now; do you remember that feeling being woken up by your parents at a dazy 5am with them telling you that you have to get ready for some kind of extensive trip somewhere? That's the kind happening now as I stand in an area I'm not too concerned about with three companions. One—not sure who right now, too tired to even care or think, a quick guess it's the pink-haired boy—was beside me and having their head leaning sleepily against my shoulder.

My hands crinkled beneath my gloves. I was practically buried underneath my scarf and the air seemed so chilly, I wondered the whole time if the season was having sentimental winter vibes just to prank me. Natsu wasn't any better; he stood almost frozen in place. His shoes stuck beneath the concrete and his arms wrapped around each other to achieve some kind of warmth. He was bundled in his jacket and scarf and his hair was still in a ponytail but considering that it was 5am, different strands fell into various angles. We were standing in some kind of area but I wasn't really processing where we were; just that Levy had woken me up on a Tuesday morning at 5am, giving me instructions to get on an early train ride to the city centre with Natsu. Things were blurred after that; I'm not sure how Levy and Gajeel even got us to where we are; some secluded place with lots of trees and a single lamp post that we all stood under. I'm sure I've heard 'South-West' being uttered by Levy at some point. Again I contemplate about how I'm not even sure how we even got here. Maybe Gajeel took us with his car. I don't remember. It's 5am. I don't need to remember.

My eyes were heavily commanding a shut down, but I forced them to stay open. _Just stay up, you fuckers._

Natsu's head was still perched on my shoulder and at that point, I was dumbfounded at what exactly I'm suppose to do so I stared at the view in front of me; Gajeel and Levy's backs. They stood firmly with no hint of sleepiness. I realised that I've forgotten that they are the hands-on power couple who deal with equipment and materials for the stall buildings. That wasn't even really adding up in my head either. I really needed food. _Food. Food. Food. Food. Give me food._

The sky was pitch dark, with just the slightest hint of blue undertones. As I continued to stare at their backs, blurred, dazed and vague hints of memory came gradually rushing inside my head. I had stumbled from my bed after the phone call, slowly and hastily got up to put on literally anything my hands could find. I ended up with pants, a pair of boots, a thick trench coat and a large scarf on. Still not quite sure what exactly I was suppose to be doing getting dressed at 5am, I had practically crawled to the living room where Natsu was asleep in his god-forsaken Iron Man boxers and a white shirt. I had shook him—still not sure why, guilty because I had no explanation why I was waking him up at 5am—until he had gotten up. He murmured what the hell was going on and if he was dead and then _if_ he was dead, how did he end up dead and also if he could get popcorn. I tell him to shut up and get dressed. He does exactly that without really objecting as he apparently doesn't have any motivation now since he's dead—I tell him for the fifth or sixth time that he is not dead. He laughs it off at the train where he falls asleep on my shoulder as he always does. I remember that we had arrived at the city centre with Gajeel and Levy standing at the train station, apparently waiting for us. The last thing I really remembered was that they smiled at us and I was practically carrying Natsu as we stepped off the train.

Gajeel and Levy were murmuring something in front of us. Their voices were silent as if they were considerate of our sleepiness. But I conclude that that didn't make any sense because if they really were that considerate of our sleepiness, then what the hell were we doing here?

Levy's voice is a little drained. I blinked as I listened in carefully.

"You think I was too harsh calling them at 5am?" she nearly whispered.

"Nah." Gajeel yawned, "That flamebrain should learn to deal with what our side of the council does too. Paperwork is only a portion of what the council does."

I hear Levy chuckle silently, "No one else in the council really does it too often, you know."

 _What don't we do? What is going on?_

Questions continued to pile inside my head and I'm pretty sure I have the exact answers stored in folders but mind folders are locked at times like these.

"Have you got their folders?" Gajeel asked, just a tiny bit louder.

"Yeah, they somehow managed to bring it when they arrived at Central. They're in the car."

Gajeel chuckled, "How did they even get to Central in the state they're in?"

"I'm not sure. I think Lucy carried Natsu the whole trip." the blue-haired girl muttered.

Their voices suddenly blurred again. Natsu's warm breaths against my cold skin was keeping me mildly awake. My hands were shoved in my trench coat pockets. The air was cool. My brain wasn't even functioning and the lack of food really wasn't improving things.

"When the fuck are those bastards arriving?" Gajeel asked, evidently irritated.

"Soon." Levy replied smoothly. She was so short and petite, and it was visibly emphasised once standing next to her boyfriend.

"They better make it fuckin' quick. We have another meeting first thing after this."

"Yeah, yeah." she mumbled and I had the right feeling that she was just grinning.

Minutes passed but I'm not quite sure. March was a month when minutes might feel like hours and hours may feel like minutes and days were just mere seconds that pass by so quickly. I closed my eyes once again, taking a silent deep breath and folding my arms, letting my mind wonder elsewhere.

* * *

The ground was having some kind of feeling to it, but it was too subtle to be an earthquake so I relieved all quick panic commands.

My eyes shot open and my eyes met the blinding, distant light in front of Gajeel and Levy. I remained confused and for some dumb reason, the weather had ceased to change and my feet were still somewhat frozen against the concrete. We were standing in the middle of the road. Why were we standing in the middle of the road? I'm not keen on suicide attempts.

Gajeel's voice hollers. He isn't whispering anymore. "Fuckin' finally."

A distant honk of the vehicle suddenly goes off and I realise it's a truck. Suddenly, my head was starting to unlock with keys to folders. _5am. Truck. Gajeel and Levy._

My head hurt. I wanted cereal badly.

 _South-West._

And suddenly, this time my eyes truly opened, focusing on the environment around me. The road, the bushes and trees, the landscape and the truck—or trucks—that was steadily approaching us.

My own voice surprises me; "Are these for the school or Central?"

Both Levy and Gajeel turn, a hint of surprise shown on their face.

Levy smiles, "Sorry we had to wake you up this early."

To my further surprise, I simply smiled, "It's okay. He's going to have to deal with this kind of thing soon enough anyway." I glanced at the pink-haired boy who remained asleep on my shoulder.

"This is for the school and Central." Gajeel grinned.

My eyebrows raised, "How did we get the funds for this?"

Levy grinned, "The business power duo requested their usual clients extra this year."

I nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. And I'm guessing we're here because of the school's club database?"

"Yup." Levy smiled and nodded, "Sorry about this, by the way Lucy."

I chuckled, "Don't worry. I'm sorry that you guys have to do this all the time."

Gajeel laughed, "Too used to it now after fuckin' five years in the council."

"You get used to waking up at 5am to deal with the materials." Levy added and I only just then realised that she was carrying a clipboard and pen.

Now clear to see, five trucks carrying an assortment of different materials—mostly wood, metal, glass and one carrying actual pre-made stalls—parked on the side of the road.

Without warning, Levy turned and strolled pass Natsu and I to what I assumed to be Gajeel's car behind us. The sound of the car door opening and closing briefly followed and the blue-haired girl walked back, handing me a familiar folder as she did.

A man emerged from the first truck and strolled to us. I'm not quite sure who it is at first, but eventually I take in his features and gradually recognised the dark-haired man, slowly smiling as I did. I personally hadn't seen him in a while.

"Good to be back in Koharu, right, Mest?" I asked, grinning.

* * *

 **Hello darlings! I missed Friday's update and I felt pretty bad about that, but before I can even elaborate, I just want to thank all my readers and a few reviewers who have been so sweet. I've gotten a few reviews with people asking about my health, quite concerned, and I just want to say thank you so much for your concern. It really means a lot, but I can assure you that I'm fine. I know fully and well that I tend to overwork myself to dangerous extents—it's just my pure nature and because I'm way too reckless for my own good. I'm getting better though, just got a bit more sleep this weekend.**

 **It's not even Monday here, it's Sunday so I really shouldn't even be updating today, but since I missed out of Friday and I actually wanted to upload this on Saturday (but sorta couldn't) I thought why not just update it today.** **And also the Mest I'm personally viewing is the one post-Tartoros arc in the manga. You can check him out, he be looking fine.**

 **Thank you for reading! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Recrudesce; (verb) break out again._


	26. Imprint

The pool of light from the lamp post highlighted Mest's facial features and I could clearly see—pass his visibly tired eyes and slightly ruffled hair—that he was smiling.

"Still head honcho, Lucy?" he laughed.

I nodded, grinning wider than anticipated. "Yup."

His attention turned to Natsu as Gajeel and Levy went to inspect the materials in the trucks. "Is that your boyfriend?"

My cheeks slightly flushed but I could only laugh, "No. Not quite. A friend. He's in the student council this year."

Mest's eyes widened in understanding, "Ohh. This is the one Gray and Juvia mentioned."

"He's just tired. So am I, actually." I sighed, "Are you staying here for long this time?"

Mest scratched the back of his head, "Not sure. I'll definitely visit the cafe as always. Makarov's gonna lecture me about being away for ages again"—he took a minute to laugh—"but I'm not sure after that. I might stay around for the festival. Depends."

"Jeez. You're a Magnolia Academy graduate and a former FT cafe employee and even one of Gray and Juvia's many business clients now. And you still can't stick around for town?" I chuckled.

"I know, I know." he grinned then sighed, "But university's piled up work as always."

"Is it that difficult?"

He shook his head, "Not compared to running a city and festival like what you guys are doing."

I smiled, "It's not a normal school. You know that."

"You think he's taking the work well enough?" he pointed to a dozed-off Natsu.

"He's actually quite impressive so far. Does work surprisingly easy."

"Good to hear you guys are getting good recruits. I know I was such a mess when I used to be in the council."

"You weren't and you know that."

"You give me too much credit." he laughed, "By the way, are the clubs really going that hardcore this year? The order I got from Gray and Juvia was huge."—he turned to stare at the trucks—"Look, we even had to make pre-made stalls."

I cocked an eyebrow, "I know, I was surprised at that. Who scared you bad enough?"

He laughed and turned back to me, "Ms. Lockser is very persuasive."

I grinned, "Yes, she is."

"How bad is it this year?"

I sighed, "The Cooking Club was dead-set on five stalls for the five regions."

He winced, "Harsh."

Suddenly, Gajeel and Levy strolled back to us, both in some kind of conversation I wasn't so focused on.

Gajeel shook Mest's hand and grinned. "Good to see you back in town."

Mest only sighed, "Not for too long unfortunately. Gotta head back as fast as I can as usual."

Levy cocked an eyebrow and grinned, "You know you at least have to stick around to greet Makarov, right?"

"The old man will kill you otherwise." Gajeel laughed.

"As always." Mest grinned, "Hasn't changed, has he?"

"Not even a little bit." I sighed.

Levy rolled her eyes then laughed, "Still trying to talk up girls way too young for him."

Mest laughed heartily. "I guess I'll be seeing him off soon. I really do want to check out the festival this year. "

"As always." I nodded.

Levy reverted the subject, "So, as for more important matters.."

Mest nodded, "Is it enough for this year? We did make pre-made stalls from the request. And I think it's a huge load compared to previous years."

"It looks enough." Gajeel confirmed, "We just need to be able to incorporate the equipment and materials into the club database."

Levy continued for him, "And some materials will go to Central-based stalls. So..Lucy?'

Everyone turned to me. "What do you need?"

Levy didn't hesitate, "Club count. Time slots. Stall count. Building estimation time. Equipment count for each major club."

A brief silence followed and I opened my mouth to answer what I could remember at the top of my head, but was interrupted by a dazy voice almost directed at my neck.

"Club count is thirty two. Time slots for each of the major clubs go in for five hours each stall requested. Stall count for major clubs go up to at least fifty and even higher. Building estimation time varies. Art Club's estimation is at one and a half weeks. Cooking Club is for two weeks. Classical Music Club will take a few days with assistance. Everything else is going to have to be lower than a week, estimated. Equipment for the major clubs are ranked with Cooking Club being first, Art club next and Book Club taking third."

Natsu's voice was evidently sleepy but he recited things too easily, and yet too casually. He also sounded exactly like he knew what he was talking about. I stared at the boy perched on my shoulder.

Mest's eyebrows raised. "Well.." he breathed out, "That was unexpected."

I chuckled, "Don't worry, he grows increasingly surprising when in lack of food."

Gajeel snorted, "What he said just then is definitely something else."

"I've taken note of all Natsu's said." Levy darted her eyes onto her clipboard, "It's not enough."

Mest only stared in surprise, "Really? And I thought this was all more than enough."

"Clubs are going hardcore again." Gajeel grinned, "But do you think, if requested again, that you guys will be able to deliver another batch?"

Mest shook his head, "I'm not sure. Depends which strings Gray and Juvia decide to pull if there is another request. They'd have to scour big time though."

Levy smiled, "It's okay."

"I'll inform Gray and Juvia as soon as possible." I added.

Mest nodded, "That will be best"—he turned once again to glance at the trucks behind him—"And these guys are good to head to Central."—he paused to turn—"which reminds me.."

"What?" Gajeel asked.

"You guys can get into the cafe any time you want, right?"

* * *

A twenty minute drive back to Central in Gajeel's car with five huge trucks following behind turned somewhat peaceful. Natsu remained dazed off.

The city crept with silence. A few cars passed by, but barely. The only light that really highlighted anything were the lamp posts. And it felt exactly like those times when you were a kid, watching each passing lamp post's light disappear then reappear from the car window as you head to your destination. There was a significant sort of feeling in the early morning and no matter how much my eyes commanded to shut close, I appreciated that feeling.

Eventually the four other trucks behind Mest's had gone off to a different direction whilst he remained driving through the familiar road behind us.

I began to sense a bit more movement from Natsu as well.

* * *

Standing in front of the cafe doors was Levy. Gajeel, Natsu, Mest and I.

My phone began to burr as I pressed it to my ear. "Mira?"

She sounded slightly surprised. "Lucy? What's going on?"

"Don't worry." I chuckled, "I'm just standing at the front doors with a few people."

She sounded a little confused, but went along with it. "Okay. I'll be there in just a sec."

The Strauss siblings and the cafe's owner, Makarov, were living in seperate apartments upstairs the cafe building. A convenience built by Makarov a few years ago.

Mirajane eventually arrived at the other side of the front door. She wore pink, silk pyjamas and unsurprisingly was rubbing her eyes. Behind her, Lisanna followed, just as dazed and confused.

I smiled as she unlocked the doors, instantly pulling her arms to hug herself as she stepped out from the cafe into the cool air outside. Her eyes meet mine and I smiled.

"What's going on?" she nearly whispered and her eyes landed on myself, Natsu perched on my shoulder, Levy and Gajeel, and eventually, the familiar dark-haired man.

Mest grinned, "How's business going, Mira?"

Needless to say, Mirajane and Lisanna were more awake after that.

* * *

Mirajane did the most Mirajane thing she could do; let us in the cafe straight after she hugged Mest, alongside an almost-tearful Lisanna. She offered coffee, which I agreed to and requested another for the pink-haired boy who was soon to wake up.

We all sat down the bar stools whilst Mirajane and Lisanna leant behind the bar.

Mirajane poured the coffee whilst chatting away, still in her pyjamas, still beaming from the dark-haired man's arrival, "How's university going?"

"Tiring." Mest replied.

"You're staying a little longer than last time, I hope." Lisanna added.

"Unfortunately not." he went on.

"You're overworking as usual, you bastard." Gajeel grinned as he drank his coffee.

"Says you guys."

"Koharu standards." Levy merely commented.

"Where's the old man? Still asleep?" Mest asked.

"I'll go wake him up actually. He's been preparing for this year's lecture." Mirajane smiled, hurrying back upstairs.

"Good to see that you guys are still taking care of the cafe." Mest grinned, "I bet the cafe's revenue practically relies on you guys."

Gajeel scoffed, "Not as much as it relies on Sting."

"Sting! How is that little bastard? Still eating cakes all the time? How is everyone actually?"

Levy answered; "Sting is eating all the cakes he can every day. Tires Mira out, we reckon. Everyone is just sprawled all over the city as usual. March doesn't hold back."

"Ahh, so it doesn't." Mest agreed, "And I hear Erza found a few friends."

"Kagura and Minerva." Lisanna pointed out, "All three have their life goal of getting arrested in some high elaborate crime scene."

Mest laughed, "That's for all of you. But how is Erza? Is she getting any offers of employment at the cafe these days?"

"She works part-time shifts when life calls for it."

"And what about this Kagura and this Minerva?"

Gajeel howled in laughter, "They're as chaotic as the red sword lady."

Levy sighed, "But they are very nice. And pretty responsible when they need to be."

Gajeel whistled, "Kagura threw a clothing rack at Erza just a few days ago though."

"We're just going to forget about that." Levy chuckled.

"They sound like a good fit for Erza." Mest laughed as he sipped on his coffee.

"And you would get to meet them if you stayed just a little longer!" Lisanna nearly pleaded.

"Can't do, kiddo." Mest waved a hand, "It's too much work. I'm not scheduled to even stay this long here. Have to get back on the road soon."

"You sound like Laxus." Gajeel pointed out.

Mest raised an eyebrow, "Is that guy still on the road?"

"Yup." Lisanna said, "Living free to the max. He tries to make small efforts to at least tell us where he is."

"Is he already out of the country?" Mest's eyes widened.

"Nah. Gramps would definitely kill him if he made that move." Lisanna snickered, "But he's still out there. We're still not sure. But it's good that he's crazy strong so that we at least know he's not getting beat up by some guy in an alleyway."

"Sounds dark." Mest laughed, "It's good Gramps got him to do that huge teak-won-do academy at some point."

"Your memory is off." Lisanna pointed out, "Laxus went and had to convince Gramps to apply him in the academy."

Mest laughed even harder, "Oh, yeah."

Natsu's head finally shifted, and he opened his eyes. Not quite familiar to the environment, he began to dart his eyes around rather aimlessly.

"What's going on? Have I gotten abducted?" he breathed out, gluing his hand on his head. "Oh god, am I really dead?"—he noticed Mest all of a sudden—"Who the fuck are you?"

Mest went along with it; "Your guardian angel."

Natsu groaned, "Oh, well fuck. Since I'm dead, Lucy's going to have to do all the paperwork and I'm going to get lectures from her when she's dead."

"Natsu, you're not dead." I finally informed him.

"Goddamnit!" Natsu exclaimed, suddenly landing his head on the bar to sleep.

"He seems like a good person." Mest eventually laughed.

At that point, Mirajane emerged from the stairs with the certain too-short man following her. He wore pyjamas and he looked somewhat hungover and somehow it seemed like if it were anybody else aside from Mirajane with her extremely persuasive smile that woke him up, he would've beaten them right on the spot.

"What's this about, Mira?" he rubbed an eye but she remained silent.

Eventually, the short man flickered open his eyes properly to take a view of the room. Eventually his eyes landed on Mest, sitting on the barstool, evidently like he hasn't even gone for two years.

"You damn bastard." Makarov eventually spat out.

Mest only laughed alongside everybody else when Makarov lectured the dark-haired boy for another half-an-hour.

* * *

"I hear Laxus is still on some kind of spiritual journey." Mest told Makarov shortly after the lecture ended.

"That damn fool." the old man sighed. Everyone listened in whilst a now-awake and mildly functioning Natsu sipped on his coffee.

"Don't worry, he'll end up back here somehow. I know it."

"He does come around every once in a while." Mirajane pointed out, "Like last year around September."

"How considerate of him." Mest laughed, "But seriously, he will."

"I'm not too worried about him." Makarov sighed, "I know he'll have to eventually."

"It's a shame I won't be able to catch up with him soon." Mest sighed.

"You really aren't even going to stay for even a day, you fool?" Makarov asked.

"I can't, Gramps."

Makarov sighed heavier, "Then I can't do anything to stop you. But please do come back when you can."

"Will do. Koharu's always got something new when I end up back here anyway."—he checked on his watch—"And looks like my time's up."

"You're really not going to stay?" Mirajane sadly asked and I knew she meant every bit of feeling she put into those words. Mirajane and Mest were childhood friends, born in Koharu, studied at Magnolia Academy, both worked at FT Cafe but separated when Mest chose to study at uni whilst Mira preferred her home town and the cafe.

"I'm sorry." he suddenly said.

Mira eventually smiled, "I know."

Their quick exchange of words seemed like mere chatter and quick syllables and tiny nothings, but my gut thought otherwise.

Mest emerged out of the bar with everyone following suit behind him.

He does quick goodbyes and even shakes hands with a confused Natsu but he lingers a little longer when hugging Mira and nobody quite notices but I watched on as they smiled as they broke off their embrace. But when they were locked in each other's arms, their faces buried in each other's shoulders as if everything fell in that one place; every little thought and wave of relief and trust and pure feeling that ran through their veins daily. I watch them say whatever tiny little things they had on their mind to each other carefully, and I realised that it was everything. There's every bit of pain and whatever feeling it was they carried on their arms and I wondered really what was beneath their smiles that the sun always had the habit of highlighting.

It's no endless hug and eventually Mest leapt back in his truck, waving everyone off as he drove to what I expected to be Central's main storage departments. There he would've been greeted with a few students who would unload the materials.

There's a certain silence that follows after the truck takes the first turn and disappears out of sight. Mirajane hastily excuses herself, telling everybody that she desires to go back to sleep in concern of her coming shift.

And Mira doesn't cry to that extent where she loses it—not anymore—but I don't tell anyone that I know for a fact that Mest Gryder walked away with a certain tear belonging to Mirajane Strauss imprinted on his dark blue jacket.

* * *

Gajeel and Levy eventually wave goodbye after an hour or so, Lisanna goes back to sleep alongside Makarov.

Natsu and I walk along to the train station. There's nothing to speak off but for some unfathomable reason, I'm quite sure he knows what I know about Mirajane.

We don't talk, we hum to some show tunes instead, watching the sunrise.

It is only a week or two before the Koharu City Spring Festival begins.

* * *

 **It's going to be a busy week! I'm still as excited to write the next few chapters out.**

 **Really wanted to give off a more homely feel on this chapter, family-wise. By the way, I wasn't even planning the whole Mest and Mirajane relationship (ya know, whatever relationship you perceive they have) so when I wrote it I was laughing at how out-of-nowhere it was for me. I wasn't planning on it. So you know..future possibilities. Ain't gonna elaborate though.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till next time,**

 **Ice**

 _Imprint; (noun) a mark or outline made by pressing something on to a softer substance_


	27. Echo

My cream heels click against the black and white tiles, the peculiar sound almost echoing throughout the entire building. Next to me the pink-haired boy's pitch black suit was equally sharp. The sound of his shoes also echoed through the narrow hallway with various contemporary art hung up.

"Jesus, this atmosphere is intense." Natsu breathed out.

"Get used to it." I chuckled silently, "Juvia and Gray have to deal with this every day."

He offered a low whistle. And indeed the atmosphere was strict, rather dull in a way, but oddly exciting. Bit and pieces here and there with fragments of anticipation. This was the world that Juvia and Gray hauled themselves in every year on the month of March. It definitely doesn't seem fit for them at first sight, but with Gray's hidden demeanour and Juvia's unhidden aggression sprinkled with wit, determination and every bit of empowerment something like the First Lady should have, they ruled this area of the council.

The pink-haired boy and I were situated in the second-largest building in Koharu City; Central District's Northshore Corporation. No one quite knows what exactly these guys really do—they might even just be plain drug dealers—and not even myself. City Council doesn't elaborate much and Magnolia Academy even in all its prestige doesn't have the right connections with them. Well, that doesn't count their students anyway; Gray and Juvia happen to be associated with them in a client-supplier type way.

It was a Friday afternoon after school. We were suddenly invited by Juvia to attend this and Natsu and I quickly whipped into our suits. The weather was suddenly disagreeable and it happened to rain. And thus we found ourselves walking through one of the highest floors of a building not so familiar. Natsu complained about having to wear a suit as he had to change out of tiger onesie.

"Goddamn Gray. That bastard." Natsu muttered, "Throwing himself in this kind of place."

I cocked an eyebrow, "He does deal with 75% of the council's business contracts in the festival."

"He seduces them, I just know it."

Oddly enough, I nodded, "True."

Natsu took notice of this, "Wow, you actually agreed."

"He does go shirtless 80% of his life, so it's not a far-off guess." I grinned.

"You think he's sexy?"

I laughed, "No. Not really. But I know that women would, I guess."

"Them fine abs?"

"This is so not the topic we should be having in a professional environment." I muttered.

"I can literally talk about lingerie in this professional environment if I wanted to."

"Please don't. You and I are required to put on a poker face in this meeting."

He cocked an eyebrow, "And?"

"Lingerie isn't going to help me put on a poker face."

"We can go to Victoria's Secret."

I pulled my hands to my face, "Oh my God, Natsu, stop."

"Lace."

"Stop." I pressed on the elevator button.

"Soft-pink."

The elevator doors open and I conclude that it was a bad idea bringing Natsu along.

* * *

"Okay, Natsu, you've got to put on your poker-"

"You know what?" he interrupts.

"—face. Everyone in the business meeting-"

"Like, I've actually never seen a Victoria's Secret shop."

"—will be professional and a little straight-forward. And—"

"Like, what the fuck is it suppose to look like?"

"—you have to sound like you know what the fuck you're talking—"

"Is it suppose to be really mysterious, because it's something to do with a secret?"

"—and it'd be real useful to remember the most basic details. You've already got that down though but—'

"Oh my God, is it some kind of torture chamber?"

"—if you fuck shit up, you'll probably get murdered by Juvia—"

"Do they lock you up? Is that Victoria's fuckin' secret?"

"—and Juvia will find the worst possible way in her list to kill you."

"Fuck, lingerie is hardcore. So much respect."

I turned to the pink-haired boy, enamoured in the apparent badassery of Victoria Beckham.

"You won't do anything to intentionally hurt me, right?" I suddenly ask, not quite sure what triggered the question and how the words even form myself.

Natsu was suddenly bounced back into some kind of reality and doesn't say a word at first but he turns and curves his lips in that familiar grin and he suddenly glanced back at the elevator doors just as they are about to open to a new world; the one Juvia and Gray lived in and the one I knew I wasn't so comfortable with for a reason but dealt with anyway.

Natsu's eyes turn into something unfamiliar. I noticed it briefly, like a spark that died out too fast. The doors open, revealing the blinding light of the office windows first-hand.

Natsu says the words like it's a whisper, but I could hear them clearly as he took his first step out.

"No, I would never."

I smiled, following the pink-haired boy.

* * *

Victoria's Secret seemed to have pulled itself out of the pink-haired boy's head as our eyes meet a few others seated in front of a large glass table. Gray and Juvia were seated beside each other—grins, smirks, every little expression that are usually etched on their face wiped off completely—and staring as our shoes yet again click against the marble tiles. Men and women in suits of black and white with the occasional colourful tie sat in a way that seemed fit and unfit at the same time; they looked on a dully—a few sent the tiniest of nods—and almost seemed to look down upon us, staring with their unblinking eyes.

Juvia stands up, fingertips still stretching across the table, "These are our two council members." she announced blankly around the table, "You all might already know Ms. Lucy. I would like to introduce Natsu, our newest council member."

Natsu and I both take two empty seats beside each other.

A woman seated towards the front stood, "Magnolia Academy has already worked with a few of our clients, have you not?"

"We have, Miss Peters." Gray said smoothly, "But we have been informed of a shortage."'

"That is impossible." a man across the table called out.

Miss Peters intervened, "How bad is the shortage?"

"Off by another requested batch." Juvia eventually said after a brief pause.

A few murmurs spread from across the table and I darted my eyes to Juvia and Gray, who didn't at all show their emotions but I knew they were somewhat nerved. A shortage of supplies or materials or even anything was bad news to the council, and with the fierce determination invested towards the festival the clubs had, it was even worse.

A sudden voice interrupted the wave of blurred chatter;

"The shop revenues." the voice evidently beside me called out. I stared at the pink-haired boy, as his next few words emerge from his mouth without a hitch, drowning in confidence and a tone and stature I found myself unfamiliar with.

He continued, "Is that what you're worried about?"

Eyes land on the pink-haired boy and Gray almost drops his jaw, but closes it anyway.

Miss Peters is silent with her eyes directly on the boy in a picture of shock and disbelief. She eventually shakes herself out of her momentary trance; "To be truthful, yes."

Natsu seems like he's about to take the time to shut up, but he doesn't. "Why?"

More stares, this time Gray looks agonisingly at Natsu, planting his hands on his face.

Miss Peters is a little stumbled, "Well, that kind of informat-"

Natsu doesn't wait and cuts her off, "It shouldn't be a problem, right? Northshore Corporations is the leading client-based supplier business in the whole of Koharu. With that kind of position, aren't you guys suppose to be heavily involved in the city council's shop revenues?"

Murmurs don't occur and Miss Peters, in her faint blue blouse and dark blue blazer, falters in the presence of Natsu Dragneel honest-to-God words. Juvia remains quiet, still not quite showing any hint of expression on her face.

Natsu pressed on, "In fact, shouldn't the city council be in this meeting as we speak? They are main hosts of the Spring Festival alongside Magnolia Academy."

"Well, the council will be far too bus-" the poor woman tried to reply but was cut off again.

"No, they are not. They have handed most authority to Magnolia Academy and as the main suppliers of the festival, you guys should already know that well by now."

Juvia adds her voice, "The shop revenues have no real impact towards the supplies, as each previous year, we have been able to successfully deal with your suppliers peacefully cost-wise."

Gray adds his own, "And if you are worried about this year, it's safe to say that with the heavy amount of stalls and paid events, revenue of the entire festival shouldn't be a problem. And it's only a small shortage of supplies."

I stared at the pink-haired boy who doesn't quite maintain eye contact, but he stares blankly at the room.

But no matter what, Natsu was Natsu and I knew—even without him uttering a single word towards me—that he relied on me. It was the kind of thing I just knew, without the full information processing through my head and without the words being escaped from anyone's lips.

A very tiny curve eventually appears on my lips, "If I may be so bold on asking, are you worried about the shop revenues or are you worried about the city council itself?"

The room is in silence and I know Gray and Juvia are trying their hardest but they're failing because the tiniest hints of smirks are implanted on their lips and beneath the table, Natsu and I bro-fist with blank faces staring at the dozen eyes of what I know Natsu would describe as unworthy Snoop Dogg antelopes.

Central District's Northshore Corporations hastily agrees to supply another requested batch approximately six minutes later.

We are scheduled to leave after that; Gray, Natsu, Juvia and I headed to the elevator, faces blank as the rain continued to pour down. We enter the elevator expressionless.

As soon as the elevator doors shut to a close, Juvia almost choked on her bottle of water laughing.

* * *

 **School is a little light-hearted on me, but I haven't been able to deal with schedules and artwork. Or rather, I'm just procrastinating from them. Oh well.**

 **Thank you for reading! I love all my reviewers, thank you so much for taking the time to write your thoughts and comments.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Echo: (noun) a sound or sounds caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener._


	28. Rufescent

The sun rose almost fervently throughout the entire courtyard. Or at least, it was suppose to be the courtyard. It kinda looked like the building process of _something_. With more than fifty students packed flocking around the courtyard with Minerva and Kagura's voices booming from different directions with instructions, or just plain insults to people.

"What the fuck happened here?" Natsu yelled out to me, in the midst and chaos of screams and materials and hands-on work. The sound of nails being put to place and hammers meeting wood and Minerva telling someone their hair needed to be tied up or she'll cut it first-hand was awfully distracting and noisy.

"The workings of the stall building department of the student council." I yelled back.

"I didn't know"—he swiftly dodged a large wooden plank being held up midair by a student—"it was going to be so.."

"Lawsuit-worthy?" I suggested.

"Yeah, sure, let's go with that." he laughed. We were standing in the middle of the courtyard, not quite sure what was going on; in this occasion, Kagura had invited Natsu and I for a day out in the yard to check up on stall building process.

This sudden invitation apparently rose from the fact that the girls had wanted to congratulate us on our succesful quest on getting another truckload of requested materials—news that had spread out easily throughout the council via Juvia with many proud individuals including Sting who ordered a cake to be delivered literally straight to my door—and the fact that she had wanted to let Natsu see their side of the council. She also actually wanted to scare him as well, but she didn't mention that.

"I didn't know stall building could be so professional." he yelled again.

"They've read manuals for years, they know what the fuck they're doing."

"I don't!" he exclaimed, still trying to block out the noise.

I laughed, "Don't worry! Kagura and the girls just wanted to make sure you know what they do in the council."

"I thought I already knew!"

I snorted then laughed again, "You don't know it unless you see it for your own eyes, Natsu! Look at them!—I pointed rather aimlessly and my hand directed to a few students drilling holes—"Look at that pure determination!"

He laughed, "They're drilling holes!"

"No. They're drilling their life goals. Their achievements in life and their pure determination. It's not just drilling holes, Natsu. It's about drilling through the heart."

"That was so pointlessly emotional."

"Nothing is pointless, Natsu."

"Why are you so quote-worthy, emotional and inspirational today?"

"I have no fuckin' clue!"—I whipped my head around to glance at the familiar dark-haired girl—"Minerva!"

Minerva instantly hears this somehow through all the chatter and shoves her way to us.

"How are you guys going?" she greeted, taking in a little bit of what was happening around her. There were students everywhere.

"Fuckin' lost." Natsu groaned, "And I'm hungry. Lucy is lecturing me about drilling through the heart or something."

"What?" Minerva cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't worry." I laughed then darted my eyes around the area to search for a certain redhead, "By the way, where the hell is Erza?"

Minerva's expression changed, evidently solemn, "She's doing a bit of the stall's paperwork in the library."

My eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"I know." Minerva sighed, "Kagura and I tried to get her out here today since it's the first day of stall building and she kicked major ass last year but she wouldn't budge. She's even more tired, I think. Been pushed to the core lately."

"Harsh." Natsu breathed out after a brief pause, "She okay?"

Minerva looked down, "Honestly, I don't know."

Kagura suddenly emerged from the crowd, a little exasperated, "God, what a flock it is this year."—she paused—"What's wrong?"

Minerva looked sideways. And Natsu sighed.

"Erza.." I began, not quite sure what to really say, and how to say it.

Kagura's expression grew darker, and a twist to my stomach occurred. "She's..okay. Just tired as always. We all know she's always pushing herself when it comes to March."

Kagura continued, sighing, "You know how it is this time of the year. It can't be helped. I'm trying my best to help her out.."

"Should Lucy and I visit her?" Natsu suddenly asked.

Kagura paused, but eventually shook her head; "I think she just needs some time alone."

"That's alright." I assured, "I trust Erza to get back on her feet soon anyway."

Minerva glanced at Kagura, a look of uncertainly flashing across her face, but she eventually smiled towards us, "Thanks for coming in the stall building."

"No problem. You guys seem all good from the looks of it all too. Thank god we managed to snag ourselves another batch of materials." I breathed out, suddenly wanting to fully escape from the previous topic.

Kagura laughed, a little hesitantly, "How did you guys manage that anyway?"

Before I could even think of the words, Natsu answered, grinning; "Magic."

Minerva and Kagura snorted, a wave of relief finally washing over the conversation.

"Be sure to use more of that soon then." Minerva grinned.

A voice suddenly called out from the crowd, yelling for both Kagura and Minerva who whipped their heads back instantly.

"We better get back to ordering these people around." Minerva sighed whilst Kagura nodded.

Natsu and I waved them off as they then proceeded to be eaten away towards the crowd.

"Intense." Natsu nearly whispered.

"You bet it is." I nodded.

"Stall building is hardcore." he breathed out.

He stands around looking impressed for a moment. He looks in control of the courtyard even. It's all loss cause because about a split-second later, a large wooden plank yet again held up by a student hits his head and sends him crashing to the ground.

The major momentum sends dozens of eyes on Natsu and I almost instantly.

The student drops the plank and reached over Natsu, apologies already spilling out. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

I knelt down, not quite sure whether I should be calling the ambulance or laughing. It seems my mind didn't want to choose, because I do both; calling out for the school nurse and taking periods of breath to laugh.

"Natsu," I pulled my arms to his shoulders, "Oh my god"—I laughed even harder—"Get the fuck up."

"Oh my God." the student pulled their hands to their face in agony, "I've murdered him. I'm going to fuckin' jail."

I suddenly felt guilty about thinking that this made the situation even more amusing. "It's okay, he's alright."—I dramatically reached my ear to his heart, laughing as I did—"he's like 85% alive."

"Oh fuck!" the student cried, "He's going to sue me!"

I snorted, leaning a bit closer to the pink-haired boy, whose eyes were shut close, "Natsu"—I laughed against my own will—"Get up, people think you're going to sue them."

Natsu's eyes flickered in annoyance, "Jesus Christ, what the fuck…"

Just to my laughter, I breathed out; "Natsu, are you dead?"

I then yelled out to the crowd quickly forming, "He's dead!"

Natsu's eyes opened fully, "Stop telling people I'm dead!"

"He's alive!" a voice from the front of the crowd called out to the others at the back. This earned multiple cheers and a sigh of the student from the relief of no future lawsuits.

"This got dramatic very fast." I whispered, still laughing. I gazed around the courtyard, suddenly spotting the school nurse practically stomping her way to the courtyard.

It takes fifteen minutes alongside Natsu telling me he won't speak to me again if I don't shut up for me to stop laughing at him in the infirmary.

* * *

Natsu laid down the bed, groaning and wailing and occasionally asking for food. To be told, he had actually passed out with no injury at all. No bleeding or anything; just the smallest bump to his forehead.

"You've just created the most dramatic soap opera moment of the entire year." I told him.

He groaned, "Goddamnit. this is the kind of shit I did not ask for." he held an icepack to his forehead.

"Don't worry, your rep got boosted up from the guy that climbed the roof of the school building to throw an ice sculpture to the guy that got resurrected."

"I was not dead!"

"That's great because the student that knocked you out was freaking over a lawsuit."

"I don't even know to file a lawsuit." he groaned.

"You know to scare someone into think you are effortlessly."

"I'm fabulous that way." he managed to grin.

"Don't make you getting crashed to the ground from a wood plank fabulous."

"It's going to be a new trend, just watch me." he proclaimed.

"People in comas are going to the new trend?"

"Cool comas."

"That's discrimination against people with comas."

"I thought I said people with comas were cool?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Tha-"

But before I could finish my sentence, a ringtone suddenly burred and for a moment, I reached my pocket to snatch my phone. But Natsu opened up his phone first, pulling the device to his ear.

"What is it, dumbass?" he greeted and I concluded that the caller was either Gajeel or Gray or at least, Sting.

A quick pause occurred as the voice on the either side of the phone went on, Natsu suddenly frowned and placed the phone on his stomach, pressing on the 'speaker' button.

Gajeel's voice shot up, "Look, I don't wanna fuckin' do this just as much as you do probably, but we need a bit of help."

Levy's voice called out, "I'm sorry about this. Either you or Lucy will do. We just need a bit of backup right not, materials have gotten a tiny bit out of hand and Northshore is requesting another manager to take care of it."

"Seems they're holding a grudge from that meeting.." Gajeel added.

My eyebrow furrowed and I'm a little loss for words, but eventually, I found them, "What about Gray and Juvia?"

"They're dealing with a shitton of work up at East." Gajeel answered.

There's a momentary pause and Natsu stares at me warily, as if he's unsure. But I assure him straight away. It was him who was the new member of the council, after all.

I sighed, "Look Natsu, we both know I have to deal with the main paperwork. The last and most important paperwork are about to head over our way this week too. You have to go with them."

Natsu stays quiet for a moment and I found myself holding in a bit of my breath.

"Okay." he finally breathed out. He doesn't seem unsure and there's very little hints of emotions etched on his face, but if I allowed it, Natsu was follow suit. It seemed that information that was never shared between us found a way to communicate themselves.

"Thank you so much," Levy finally called out, "You guys are life saviours. Natsu, you're going to have to take a train to the West Wing right now. I'm so sorry if this is all going a bit fast-paced but we need the help immediately."

Natsu nodded as if he was in front of the blue-haired girl, "Okay, I'll be there."

Gajeel offered an approving grunt and they said their final 'thank you' before hanging up.

"Lucy.." Natsu whispered and I smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I hope I'll be, I guess. They need you, okay?" I didn't wait for an answer as I grinned, "Go show the world the results of my training, little stormtrooper."

He eventually brought himself to make that familiar grin of his, "Will do."

With that he leapt up from the bed, quickly telling me to inform the school nurse of his leaving, and stood at the infirmary door a little blankly. I stood beside him, not quite sure what this was, not quite sure why Natsu seemed so solemn as he stood there a little expressionless with a ridiculous icepack on his head being held by his hand.

"I'll get back to you the moment I can." he nearly whispered.

He leaned in for a hug and it takes me a moment to realise that Natsu Dragneel was clutching me tightly to the point where I was unsure if I could even breath and it takes me another moment to realise I was wrapping my arms around his neck just as badly.

He smelt distinctively of strawberry liquorice.

We broke out of our embrace a silent minute later.

I smiled, "I know."

Natsu Dragneel leaves Magnolia Academy with an icepack and brings along with him whatever emotions I left on the right shoulder of his gray shirt.

* * *

 **Got this done in my school library. Lately I've been assigned to some writing on english. Haven't been able to deal with Fairy Tail lately, I'll catch up with the fandom soon though. I'm also reading 'Virtual Flames' by MissyPlatina here on FF and it's quite good! I'm still on chapter 17, and it's 90+ chapters long so I've got a lot of catching up to do. I really recommend taking a look at it.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 _Rufescent; (adjective) tinged with red._


	29. Blur

Natsu doesn't show up to the train as expected, but it still left a wave of uncertainty through me. He didn't even have the time to text due to the fact that he was managing whole brigades of people alongside Levy and Gajeel in the last few days. I thought the best way to get rid of whatever feeling I had twisted through my stomach would be to just proceed with more paperwork—the most important out of the batches we had in the entire month—but I fail due to the fact that there are about more than fifteen empty bags of strawberry liquorice lying around my apartment, all mocking and leading me to think about the pink-haired boy.

And as if to mock me, my head began to knot in different angles throughout the next few days; I had concluded I had caught up to a slight fever and downed a few simple Panadol tablets, but they only temporary relieve the pain and once again, I was left with some kind of throbbing headache.

I had barely gotten to the train looking sane on the certain Friday morning; I had staggered, carried a heavy bag of papers and wanted to fall face-flat on the floor—at least the pain would be somewhat avoided that way.

Autumn was also being relatively cruel; offering days of breezing wind that was the cause of Wednesday's 'swearing at air' accident that a few people had to witness at the city centre.

And now I laid almost flat at the chair I was sitting in, staring blankly at the current meeting with members of both the Art Club and Classical Music Club. They didn't quite look like humans in my vision, more so like zombies. Or maybe I was the zombie. I didn't know.

I tried to make my voice sound like I wasn't screaming inside and sat up straighter as I faced the dozens of eyes that stared right back;

"With the stall building already nearly finished and the parade plans already set to motions," I began, my voice still a little firm, "I would like to ask for the final arrangements for both your club events."

The familiar girl, Amelia Binde, stood with a clipboard to her hand, "Classical Music Club's main event, The Band Stanza, which has been the traditional yearly event for the Spring Festival, has been successfully in motion and we have concluded that we will be taking the last time slot during the third day of the festival."

My eyes widened at the last part of her report. God, my head hurt and this was truly not the right time for speaking to other species. Binde's report received approving nods or grunts and encouragement the rest of the Classical Music Club.

I sighed momentarily before hearing the first protest.

A member of the Art Club spoke out, "That cannot be right; the Art Club has been scheduled to take the last time slot for our event on the third day since last year."

The Art Club seemed to have acknowledged this and the protests grew.

"Get your asses down. Your president has only been here for a year!"

"We've been waiting for the last time slot for years!"

"We've prepared this event for months and you people are just going to take our time slot?"

"Shut the fuck up!"

The screams and battles and verbal bloodshed went on and it takes me a moment to realise that I'm personally obliged to care about their chaos.

"PEOPLE! JUST CALM DOWN." I yelled out, but this kind of anger was like the flames meeting gasoline and I did not have even the right amount of seas to calm the fire down.

Students stood gallantly, with their fingers pointed in different directions with various accusations and insults. I stood, not quite lost but rather tense from the mind files blowing up to pieces. It all hurt.

There's more shouts and cries and waves of insults but I can't focus on them—essentially, I don't really want to—because there's some kind of buzzing in my head and everything is spinning. Rapidly. So fast, like lightning that ceased to stop itself in the cloudless night.

There's nothing to think about despite every bit of chaos and misguided momentum circling around me like tiny little specks of dust that merely looked like it was easy to get rid of, but was a pain to actually do.

My head burned now. What were the Panadols doing just standing there nonchalantly, not doing their jobs as the commercials always say they apparently did? I hastily planned to sue the company when the time called for it. The room was beginning to even blur and it seems all like a movie but the reality of it all struck me too harshly. It felt like a slap to the face even.

It all dawns upon me; when was the last time I had properly slept? When was the last time I had taken a slightest break off endless paperwork? When was the last time I had even gone to bed with the right clothes on? Also, when the hell was that boy getting back to my side? Where was he? I chuckled mindlessly; _he's stuck in the Himalayas._

Louder buzzing noises and I'm not quite sure, but students are probably near riot-level now. It was all a daze; a simple, mindless daze that I couldn't walk out on. The spinning continued and I'm not sure if I'm standing or sitting on a chair anymore. I may even just be standing blankly on the table like Juvia. My legs feel weak, alongside my brain, my arms, my chest and I realised my whole body is practically deflated. _Is this it? Has my generous body actually been trying to maintain all it can take in this whole time and only now it's realised that it's fucked from the lack of any sleep or anything?_

 _How sweet, body. But now we're so high._

My hands fly up to my head, trying to massage my temples. It is not helping. Nothing is. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. It was all pointless and frustrating and I want to scream at the CEO of Panadol.

There's a sick feeling to my chest and I gasp, instantly wanting to claw out my own skin to rip that feeling out. This is it? This is what the cost of weeks of constant paperwork plus no amount of sleep given was? My stomach also continued to churn; twisting and knotted into angles it clearly should not be in. It all hurt.

And what the hell was this about with the goddamned last time slot? Who even really cared? Why was there students taking riots and punches and extreme verbal brawls over it? What the hell was going on and why? The thoughts made me sick to the stomach and I conclude that it was not a great idea thinking about it all.

Everything is blurring and spinning and making a complete mess. The only real thing I process is that I'm standing up. A large thud reached my ears and I'm left a little confused. But the sudden movement hits me; my vision is darker than before and the feeling leeches even larger in my chest.

I feel the carpet against my skin and my head ceased to function—it was now commanding an instant shutdown. There's finally an unexpected amount of silence and I faintly hear sudden outcries between all the buzzing.

"Ms. Lucy!"

"Someone call the school nurse!"

I can't help but feel bewildered; _why the hell would we need to get school nurse all of a sudden?_

I didn't know; everything was fully becoming a blur into the darkness. The sound of buzzing and ringing and whatever noise continued but my head decided it did not care. The feeling of the carpet against my skin somehow felt like something that should add answers to questions but I ignored it. The feeling still creeping to my chest only grew and my eyes—I could slightly tell—were already beginning to shut close.

I hear the vague sound of a door being slammed open and a familiar voice.

"Oh my God, get her up!" the voice boomed.

"What happened, what's going on?" another voice called out and they say a few more words but I can no longer clearly recall them.

"Lucy!" the voice draws nearer, "Lucy, fuck, Gray, carry her!"

The other voice begins to get louder; "Lucy!"—my body suddenly felt like it was being shook gently—"Fuck, do we need to call the ambulance?"

"…I….know…ambulance….call…."

The voices all began to be cut off in pieces, my head no longer processing any words or even syllables. I feel absolutely motionless. The universe was also screaming.

"….she's….."

"…Natsu."

Everything sinks into the darkness after that.

But I still remember the name I last heard clearly.

* * *

 **Well, that took a turn. I wrote this and instantly wanted to upload but I realised that I already updated the day's chapters. It was kind of a fan fiction weeb moment for me honestly. I want to empathise something in the next few chapters, I think. I don't know; all I know is that I'm pretty motivated to write more chapters up as always.**

 **Thank you for reading! Reviewers make my heart melt and I'm not exaggerating bro.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Blur; (noun, verb) a thing that cannot be seen or heard clearly, make or become unclear or less distinct._


	30. Scatter

My eyes met the plain white of the ceiling.

Strangely, the feeling of warmth was the first to hit me. After the tiniest peek, I realised that I was covered in my blanket. The fact that I was now situated on my bed and essentially my apartment also began to slowly process through my head. How I had ended up from Magnolia Academy to my apartment remained a mystery. I don't try to uncover the answers.

Everything was hurting. There was pain in every area of my body; there was a burning feeling to my chest, my legs felt like lead underneath the warm blanket, my arms were weak, my head was another tornado of its own. I take in the deepest breaths; trying to take in the air around me. Everything wasn't as dazed or rapidly spinning as I last recalled it had been from my memory, but a slight faze still lingered. Just opening my eyes seemed to hurt. Nothing was helping; _nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing_. I wanted to scream badly.

I paused and shifted my face to gaze at the curtains; from the light outside the windows, I wearily guessed that it was the early break of dawn. I reached for my phone to check the time; _6;40. Saturday._

 _I slept through Saturday?_

Juvia left a voicemail.

I held the phone up; shutting my eyes close as the blue-haired girl's voice filled the room.

"Hey," Juvia began, "So..you kinda collapsed yesterday."

"Great start." Gray said in the background.

"Shut it, dumbass." Juvia hissed, "Anyway, we kinda barged into your meeting looking like we came out of a scene from CSI.."—she laughed dryly—"..God, you scared the fuck out of us.."

A pause. Gray was silent in the background. And after years of friendship, I knew she was holding in her breath.

"..So, y-yeah," her voice quivers, "..Don't fuckin' collapse on me again. I don't know. Gray and I are at Central, and I screamed at..a lot of people. Mostly the Art and Classical Music Club. And some chick down the street, I don't know."

Another pause. Eventually, to add to the throbbing pain already implanted through my heart, I faintly hear a restrained and muffled sob before Gray's voice takes over.

"We hope you're okay, Lucy." he sighed, "We'll get right back to you when we can."

The voicemail ended and I let the phone drop on the mattress; feeling another storming headache over my way alongside another knife piercing through my chest.

I shut my eyes as if to block out the universe's incoherent screams.

* * *

My eyes flickered open once again. I groaned.

"God, why can't I just be in an eternal coma?" I weakly grumbled.

Truth be told; I had heard or read somewhere something about collapsing due to extreme stress and lack of sleep, but I had never thought of it to be something that may even come close to happening to me. It was always energised Lucy, trying to take on the month of March with every bit of resolve to make the upcoming one better than the previous. It was not Lucy with a body that could do nothing but give up on her anymore.

My legs still felt weak underneath the blankets but I try to make a bit of movement. Suddenly, my stomach turned to a twist. _Well, that was not a good fuckin' idea._

So instead, I raised the upper part of my body, also lifting my hands to smooth out my face as if to relieve any pain. It does not work but it allows me to make a resolve involving getting out of bed. I move my feet to meet the carpet, shoving the blanket off. The pain immediately emerges and I instantly feel like throwing my body back to bed and to the warmth, but I muster up enough to pull myself up and stagger to the kitchen.

The numbness doesn't grow but it still managed to tug every wretched part of my heart.

* * *

As I made my way over to the kitchen, I only then realised that I'm dressed into my silk pyjamas. _Juvia must've dressed me._

"I fuckin' hope it wasn't Gray, at least." I whispered to the air.

I hovered around my kitchen; filling the kettle with water and turning it on. Dizziness now lingers forward but I balanced myself with the kitchen counter, feeling like I was either going to vomit or fall any minute. The pain rushed back through my veins and everything ached all over again and again.

I suddenly gripped the kettle as it finished boiling; hastily making myself a cup of coffee. A bit bitter with only two spoons of sugar.

I sucked in and out the air between sips of the beverage—hoping to take in anything but pain through my lungs. Focusing on nothing in particular, I opted for staring at the overlooking view from my kitchen. The sun was gazing down the room rather generously and usually, the mere fact that the sun was peeking from the clouds would lift my spirits, but I didn't have the right mindset to even think at all.

The room remained silent as I watched on; hair evidently in a mess and eye bags probably set to become a world record. I really, _really_ wanted to tell whatever was controlling my body to fuck off.

The kitchen is a bit warm and I glanced at the heater to see it has been turned on. The microwave occupies a well-cooked omelette evidently made by Juvia

Walking to the living room, I seated myself on the couch facing the windows, overlooking the now-active North Wing. My head refused to co-operate and only dazed in itself. I quickly decided I needed a distraction to pull me away from the pain, from the ache, from the brink of screaming.

I reached for my phone, opening the device and hastily darting my eyes around the homepage. _Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, Snapchat. Literally any one of you. Distract me._

As I am about to click an app—whichever one to preserve my focus—my eyes spotted the music widget placed neatly above the apps. The last song I had apparently listened in on to was Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', courtesy of the pink-haired boy. I eventually clicked open the music app, scrolling through hundreds of songs. One particular one stood out above the others.

'La vie en rose' is stuck amongst hundreds of its song companions.

I eventually shut my eyes; letting Edith Piaf's striking vocals fill the emptiness of the apartment.

* * *

The sound dies out and I flickered my eyes open; aware I was now desperate for another distraction to lure me away from the pain. Edith's voice fades out; the singer no longer occupying her position as my beloved little distraction. I felt slightly betrayed.

I frantically hovered across the room to my TV, skimming through the box of DVD's until my eyes spot a certain _Titanic_ DVD. The front cover being the goddamned sinking ship; _so much for no spoilers._

I sighed as I shoved the disk into the DVD tray, flicking the TV on afterwards as I wondered what the hell I was doing and what exactly my motivation was.

I headed back to the couch; flopping myself carefully in a position. Feeling a little lost but guided at the same time. The aching did not disappear however.

* * *

Instead of dozing off mid-movie. My head concentrates on Titanic. Almost to a scary extent. The boat had sunk, of course, and Jack died, of course. But I watched on as if I had not seen the scenes many times. Like I didn't know Jack and Rose were going to fall in love. Which seemed awfully stupid because _everyone_ knows they were going to fall in love.

I watched intently as the string quartet played 'Nearer My God to Thee', calming the passengers who listened on with deaths already engraved through their hearts. I watched as Jack and Rose stumbled and fell and ached throughout all the chaos. I felt another burning sensation through my chest and it didn't have the decency to stay a mild fire.

 _Goddamnit chest, don't try to be the new Sting._

The room is now spinning. My heart was now beating erratically. I felt like I was losing my mind with the pain and the aching going back and forth almost violently. I wanted to shred apart even my skin and flesh just to tear apart the burning leeching through my chest. If anything other than that, I wanted to let it all pour out from my own skin to maul through someone else's. I couldn't find myself giving a damn who it was; the pain was insufferable and everything was collapsing. Collapsing like I hadn't built it all these years brick by brick.

 _Everything hurts, everything hurts, everything hurts, everything hurts and hurts and hurts and hurts and hurts and hurts and hu-_

All my thoughts halted as the faint sound of a click and a door opening reached my ears. I was suddenly devoid of any thoughts as I leapt up, taking silent steps towards the hallway.

 _If it's an intruder, I swear to God they better be read-_

Once again, my thoughts are interrupted by the sight my eyes beheld. He was wearing a dark blue coat, faded jeans and gripping a plastic bag in his hands. His eyes met mine and he wore that familiar grin.

Natsu—grinning, happy and slightly weary Natsu—stood in my hallway; looking not one bit lost, looking like he was just okay with all of it. He was a good liar.

"What took so long?" I realised it was my own words the moment they escaped my lips in a whisper.

He grinned.

"Sorry; traffic."

* * *

 **And that's it! You're going to have to wait until the end of the weekend to know what happens next. Unless I suddenly feel like updating. Which is unlikely; I need to start up a few schedules for the new month but I might feel generous so maybe.**

 **Now hear this tragedy; this chapter was written in a document, with 2,500 words and I was going to upload it. Then, the document and words and everything fuckin' disappeared on me! Oh my God, I was screaming my lungs off. I tried everything and nothing worked so I had to restart the entire goddamned chapter with just my memory and god, you should have seen me when I had to write the first few sentences. I essentially wanted to die. The long-lost chapter was also well-written too and I had spent a considerate amount of time on it. I was just screaming and eating violently and I ate a pack of Doritos angrily.**

 **Goddamnit, then I spent fuckin' 2-3 hours re-writing and screaming at the same time it was horrendous.**

 **Thank your for reading! I love you reviewers.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

Scatter; (verb) thrown in various random directions.


	31. Inspirit

My head didn't seem to be able to make up its mind on what to think; on one side, it was aware that it was happy that Natsu had finally arrived back from an appalling three or four days, but on another hand; it was sort of planning to vomit.

Natsu easily strolled through the hallway, knowing his way, whilst still grinning.

"So," he began, "I bought you some stuff from Central."

I only stared at the boy as we made our way over to the living room, slowly cocking an eyebrow. I went along with it; "..Really?"

"Yeah!" he nearly exclaimed, "I told you, right? I'd get back to you as soon as I can."

I smile warily, but I knew.

We sat on the couch. "So, show me whatcha got me."

He grinned even wider, "Here," he pulled out a book, "I stopped by a shop and got you this."

Slowly, I let out a hand to graze the soft cover. A velvet red book with the title; 'Whispers in the Dark' imprinted at the front alongside the author; 'Jonathan Aycliffe'.

I allow myself to chuckle, "..This sounds sorta wrong."

"I know." he laughed, "I don't know what it's about, but I found it at a charity shop again."

"The one near the post office across the cafe?" I inquired.

"Yeah, that one." he beamed, "And it had all these books around and I picked this one out of fuckin' nowhere."

"Why?" I nearly whispered.

"Huh?" he cocked an eyebrow, "Cause' it's for you!"

I laughed, "Yeah, I know that! But why did you just pick one out of nowhere?"

"I don't know." he shrugged, "It caught the tiniest bit of my attention when I browsed through the books because of the red cover."

"Ah." I chuckled silently.

"And here, a giant lollipop." he pulled out the pink-swirled lollipop from his plastic bag.

I widened my eyes as I reached for the unusually large candy, "What?"

He laughed, "They were having huge discounts at the lolly shop and it was, like, a dollar."

"So, you just bought it?"

"No," he pulled out another one, "I bought two. I'm not gonna fuckin' buy candy just for you! I have to buy some for my own too."

"Just like the noodle cups?"

"Just like the noodle cups." he nodded then pulled what I assumed to be the last item, "And here."

To the tiniest of my shock, Natsu held a tiny potted mini cactus in his hands. Exactly like his from his own apartment. I held it out excitedly.

"Oh my gosh!" I found myself gazing at the plant like it was gold. Which it was.

"I know right!" Natsu added, "I spotted it at the same charity shop. Just like mine."

"You found me a fuckin' potted cactus?" I howled of laughter. My stomach seemed to calmed itself.

"You think I'm just going to leave a mini cactus that looks exactly like mine from goddamned America in the charity shop, when you almost lost your shit when you saw mine?" he cocked an eyebrow, grinning.

"Thank you so much." I beamed, "Now I'm taking my shot at modern interior sophistication."

"You'll never overpower me."

"Tell that to my new mini potted cactus."

"I will."

I laughed; my head still feeling light but relieved. Fuck Panadol, laughter was _literally_ the best medicine.

We sat there without further exchanges of words for a few minutes; it was pleasant watching the Koharu scenery. Especially up at North, where the skies took the spotlight; showcasing parades of clouds and hues of colours when the sun either went down or rose.

Natsu sits comfortably beside me. His arm grazing next to mine as we watched and watched and watched. And I'm not exactly sure what we were watching. I personally was staring at a cloud shaped like some kind of flower. Maybe Natsu was personally watching a few birds.

But there's something oddly pleasant and comforting about his presence just being there, next to me as I tightly hugged a couch pillow. There's nothing to really worry about, and we both know each other is there and I can't help but appreciate that familiar warmth of Natsu's touch. He still smelled of strawberry liquorice, but from his work, that peculiar fresh smell of wood and trees was all faintly evident, alongside the aroma of chocolate—particularly, dark chocolate. _Well, he has been to the lolly shop._

I also can't help but smile a little sadly. "How was your work with Gajeel and Levy?"

"It was alright." he offered an assuring grin, "I could boss people around to carry a shitton of materials."

I chuckled, "Bossy, much?"

"I try. Being head honcho is tiring."

"Was everything good in the end?"

"..Yeah."

I paused; feeling like he was too kind for his own good, feeling like I was still just the tiniest bit dizzy, feeling like the world could just fuck off and leave Natsu and I to stare at sunsets. Feeling like Natsu Dragneel was not too bad of a liar.

If only I wasn't so good with liars' lies.

A pause occurs between us and I can't find it in me to do anything but stare at the pink-haired boy, my lips curved sadly. Natsu was busying himself by carelessly flipping through the book, probably reading passage-to-passage with each mindless skim.

I allowed myself to focus back on the view outside. "You heard, didn't you?"

Natsu quickly whipped his head to stare at me, his eyes unblinking. He opens his mouth to protest something then shuts it a moment later. Denying wasn't going to get him anywhere, he seemed to have realised.

"..Yeah." he breathed out, his tone low, "Juvia called. I told Gajeel straight away."

I stay silent, prompting him to continue.

He does; "..I was suppose to work with them for.." he trails off, a look of uncertainly etched all over his face.

"How many days?" I asked.

"..Five more."

I allowed myself to chuckle, "Jeez, you really bailed out on them."

He paused before sighing, "I know."

I laughed at nothing. Because I feel absolutely nothing. Everything was hurting now and it wasn't hurting for the fact that Natsu bailed out anyone. Everything still ached for a dumb reason.

Natsu inhaled sharply before finally asking, "..And, are you okay?"

I felt everything absolutely crashing down. Like tides that rolled monstrously to the shore, like fire that roared through hundreds of forests, like air that breezed so violently it's like it's screaming. It all collided simultaneously to create the wretched mess; namely me right at that moment.

My hands instantly raised to meet my cheeks and I feel myself losing to everything; the ache, the pain, everything. But suddenly my skin met a certain warmth that I was far too familiar with. Broad arms wrapped around me unhesitatingly. I know exactly who's the source and I wrapped my own arms loosely around him. Tears rolled too carelessly down my cheeks afterwards.

And Natsu doesn't utter a word but I'm screaming my lungs out—to the point where I thought for sure it was scheduled to burst open—and wailing and crying and losing to every ache and burn. Everything was hurting but at the same time, everything was beginning to bury itself and heal. I dug my face into his shoulder.

I'm muttered through sobs. "I..just can't fight off this fuckin' feeling that's just burning badly."

"Do you wanna scream all the time at it?" he asked.

I nodded and he seemed to understand that.

"Is it some kind of shit buried through your chest and you want it to fuck off?"

I nodded again, suddenly surprised at how well he was identifying this. "Yeah."

"..You're probably just extremely frustrated. And you haven't slept at all this month, Luce. You've pushed yourself too much."

"..I know."

I eventually broke out of our embrace, still sniffling. "And I've had the worst fuckin' fever in the planet." I chuckled dryly.

"I heard about that too."

I stared at the pink-haired boy, "And you're still not done either."

"What?" he stared.

"Natsu," my voice began to firm itself, "You need to get your ass back to Gajeel and Levy. I mean it. No matter what, you have to."

His forehead creased as he frowned, "No, Lucy, you're fuckin' sic-"

"I know." I cut him off, "I really, _really_ fuckin' am. I kinda see that"—I paused to laugh dryly—"But you need to help manage the teams with Gajeel and Levy. I don't want you to worry over me and miss five fuckin' days of work."

"That's no-"

"Please, Natsu." I pleaded, "I'm not doing this just for the festival, okay? I'm doing this for you. And you need to do it for me. Look, I trust you with everything you've got. I wouldn't have fuckin' got you in the council if I hadn't."

He stayed quiet and I went on, "Honestly, I don't know if I would've let someone who had only gotten one month of council work to help manage a team. Someone other than you. And that means a fuckin' lot, you hear?"—I chuckled through my sniffles—"I trust you, Natsu. More than anything and everything. How about you?"

I smiled at the pink-haired boy who only looked on blankly, a solemn expression still on his face. "I'm worried, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"And you scared the shit out of me when I got the call saying you've fuckin collapsed in a middle of a goddamned meeting, right?"

"I know."

"And that I went off and tried to bash a few guys from both the Art Club and Classical Music Club and yelled at them and almost broke some guy's ice sculpture, right?"

I laughed, "Can pretty much imagine it straight away."

"And you know I planned to get away from work the moment I got the call before that iron fuckin' bastard went and pulled me back, right?"

"I know." _Thank you, Gajeel._

 _"_ What are you planning to do with those bastards at the Classical Music and Art clubs then?" he cocked an eyebrow.

I laughed, "Trust me Natsu, they're not that hard to handle if you're not on the verge of the collapsing. And I've already got an idea how I'm going to deal with them anyway."

I stared straight at his eyes; unmoving, unblinking. I didn't want Natsu, a person I deeply trusted from the very depths of my fucking heart, to worry about me like this; partly because I needed this, partly because he needed this, mostly because I needed him to trust me as much as I poured my own trust in him.

He sighed after our brief staring contest, "Fuck, okay. I'll get back. But on one condition."

I cocked an eyebrow, "..What?"

"You're going to sleep." his eyes looked a little pleading.

"Natsu.." I turned to stare around the room, or namely the stacks everywhere, "There's a shitt-"

"Yeah," he cut off, "And if you even do any at all, I will get another call and this time, I will actually break an ice sculpture."

I slumped my shoulders, feeling like he wasn't going to let me have my way and that was final.

"..Fine." I eventually sighed then grinned, "Now, go, you need help those two out."

He scratched the back of his head, "..Okay."

We leapt up and strolled back to the hallway; my legs don't feel so weak anymore.

"I'll watch movies for you." I proclaimed to the pink-haired boy.

He grinned, "You better. Oh and eat for noodles for me too."

"I know."

We embraced and I take in his scent—the most familiar and beloved thing I knew—and the soft touch of his hair and his skin. This was what I was going to soldier on without for the next five days. We broke out of our embrace a moment later and I feel a little relieved and a little sad and a little hungry. I wanted to read the book already.

He hold the door open, ready to walk out and I backed away near the living room door.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"I trust you too."

I grinned; "I know."

* * *

 **First chapter of the week! This week is gonna be hectic chapter-wise, that's all I know.**

 **Anyway, so these last few chapters have been heavily dedicated towards a certain character and remember that little rant about Natsu I did in 'Stark'? Well, have a little rant about Lucy! Lucy is easily a favourite character of mine in the manga and to be honest, whilst I have altered her character a bit (I have warned and mentioned that I'm aware that some characters are OOC intentionally), I really want to portray Natsu and Lucy's relationship to be healthy; they trust each other but also worry about each other. In CC (and maybe in canon, I'm not too sure haven't checked at all lately), Lucy is the subject of Natsu's worry (obviously) but she also knows that she trusts Natsu and that she can take care of herself enough for Natsu to get on with council work. I feel like people tend to forget that Lucy can go on without Natsu, I'm not even going to elaborate on what happened to her in the Tartaros arc and post-Tartaros and what she had accomplished by herself. Lucy is a strong character mentally and even physically. People really need to see that. And people really need to look past the stereotypes of Lucy and Natsu's relationship. And there are just so much things I can rant about regarding Lucy. That will have to be for another time, I guess or I'll literally be here all day man.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading so much; reviewers, you guys have been so sweet lately. I love you everyone. I would also like to do a bit of shoutout to yukifeari right here on FF because they are amazing and have recommended CC and that is just the sweetest thing and made my day by 100x.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Inspirit; (verb) encourage and enliven._


	32. Ruby

The room was pin-drop silent. I laughed internally at the frightened faces of various members of both the Art and Classical Music Club. Sure enough, they had already seemed to suffer traumatic experiences, courtesy of Juvia, Gray and apparently Natsu. All three—a formidable trio that consisted of people eligible for something like 'most likely to destroy the school out of anger'—had apparently provoked both clubs in their own way, with Juvia and Natsu seemingly competing for 'most verbal'.

And here I was now; the very victim of the situation; standing before a crowd. My face hopefully unreadable. There was certain glint to my eyes and I was aware of it. This was some kind of trick I had picked up from Erza a few years ago. A certain blue-haired girl glared beside me.

Juvia insisted upon attending this impromptu meeting. It was the Sunday morning—the day after Natsu had left my apartment to go to God-knows-where—when she had shown up at my apartment with food in hand. Screaming and dropping the grocery bags she had in her hands as she caught the sight of me so much as standing. She had leapt in for hug, of course, and cried unhesitatingly, of course. Telling me that she had lost it the moment she had gotten some poor student telling her that there was a fight in a meeting I was in. Telling me she barged in the room alongside Gray and started screaming her lungs off the moment she spotted my motionless body on the ground. Telling me it was like something from a TV show. Telling me she would murder me if I collapsed on her one more time.

It's Monday now and it's been two days without Natsu; I don't take the route to the train station that passes through Anya's. It sorta hurts and there's always some kind of clenching beneath my chest if I do take it.

I cleared my throat, "I'm not looking for some kind of apology right now." I began, much to the surprise of some students, "We'll get to that later."

They stayed dead-silent—probably due to Juvia's ever-intense glare—and I went on, "Instead, I want you all to take a look at this."

I took a piece of paper from a folder and slammed it rather harshly against the table, making the room almost jump. Amelia Binde—with a rather shaky hand—took it hesitatingly and stares, alongside a few other students.

It's a printed photo of the folk dance committee from Central. I had contacted Levy who had hit me up with their business. I contacted them and they rejoiced over my sudden news.

"What's this?" a student called out as others peered or pushed to take a look.

"That," I began, "is what is going to preoccupy the last time slot just before the festival."

A silence. I can feel a little bit of anger building up between both clubs but sucks on them, because Juvia Lockser was beside me, staring them all down with a glare that perfectly conveyed; _if you do anything, prepare to die._

So they don't. They mumble of few things to one another and maybe, just maybe, they were a little sick of getting the council always screaming our lungs off at them. If they dare do anything reckless, they would sooner or later have to face the wrath of Gajeel Redfox and either Juvia or Gray could practically shut down an businesses they want if they really felt mean so anybody and their Mom could lose their jobs if they took the wrong move.

Amelia Binde sighed, "Well, better luck next time."

"You better count that there will be no next time." Juvia whispered beside me.

Art Club members whine a bit but they don't look like they're ready to take a brawl and eventually, they end up sighing and slumping their shoulders and then they chatter to each other about that pink-haired guy that almost broke an ice-sculpture last week. My lips curved from hearing that bit.

Juvia eventually dismisses the short meeting.

We sat in that room for a bit before she turned to me, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Took a bunch of good medicine yesterday and I feel better."

"Look," she sighed, "I'm not kidding when I say I swear to God, I will actually lose it if you collapse again."

"Juvia!" I laughed, "I'm not! I feel much, _much_ better. I swear."

"..Alright."

"And I'm okay, honestly."

"..You sent him back."

I smiled knowingly, "You know I had to. And you told him."

"I was unsure. Gajeel and Levy already knew right away. They didn't even tell him. Gajeel knew Natsu would lose the plot the moment he knew." she sighed, "And you know, Gajeel; he knows when a person will break or not. But I told him. Sure enough, he did and they did everything to stop him from seeing your pain.."

"Well, that failed." I chuckled.

"Yeah.." she stared at me, "What do you feel about it?"

"Natsu already knows he has to go through with Gajeel and Levy. It'd only hurt me even more if he didn't and you know that. This festival is everything for the council. You and I know that the most."

"Yeah, I know."

I nodded, "And you know, I still think it's all we can do.."

She paused. "You miss him."

"Shut it."

She laughed until I hit her with a wad of folders.

* * *

The next few days were almost unbearably hectic. Amidst all the paperwork and businesses and meetings and an elevator with Juvia almost laughing to death and a rather CSI-worthy dramatic collapse courtesy of myself, it was now the final week of festival preparation. Trains arrived blatantly early in the morning from student requests. People arrived at school at 5am astonishingly and the sound of thunks of hammers and clinks of nails echoed almost throughout the whole school, the presence of various business figures would also stride through the hallways every once in while to meet and catch up and do whatever the hell they did with Juvia and Gray. The days dragged on and on and on.

I would go home—still not choosing the route through Anya's—and with many threats from the girls in the council if I ever collapsed again, I offered myself a quick hour or two just lounging around and watching a movie and my personal favourite; continuing to read 'Whispers in the Dark'. Mr. Aycliffe was a wonderful storyteller. I read chapters each day; they were told in honest-to-god details and I found myself enjoying sparing a glance at paperwork for a few pleasant hours. My own behaviour severely reminded me of Natsu, however, so I still happened to work on a few incredibly important stacks but with the pink-haired boy's words in mind, I kept it a little steady.

Yukino, Sting and Rogue were on the move quicker than lightning; they had engaged in constant travels between the East and West Wings alongside Central the whole month, dealing with various groups and individuals for the parade. They essentially led teams and additional club database; making them crucial for travel work between all of Central.

Erza, Kagura and Minerva continued to lead an astonishing number of students in terms of stall building. Many stalls—even including a few from Central that Gajeel and Levy had to send to Magnolia Academy—were built, created and cheered over. Erza had still apparently maintained a strange low-key on the work, but nevertheless led her assigned teams. Cooking Club's initially impossible conquest for 'five stalls for five regions' had been accomplished and Minerva had apparently almost declared the teams get some vodka to celebrate before being whacked in the face by Kagura.

With the stall building's progress finally reaching their end; Gajeel and Levy had been in charge of transporting all their hard work throughout all the main regions. This took about fifteen or so trucks fearsomely parking casually around Magnolia Academy. Natsu was sent off to Central to deal with the arriving said trucks. He was apparently dealing with dozens of the city council's eager volunteers and a few teams of the Academy's students. He apparently still maintained the clipboard and pen I had gave to him since the first day.

Lisanna was insanely busy dealing the Cooking's Club collaboration with the cafe. Dealing with a huge club, she had apparently been sent off to Central's city council to deal with the Cooking Club's Central connections via Gray and Juvia. The white-haired girl still only smirked whenever I had desperately asked her what exactly this mystery event was.

Speaking of Gray and Juvia, they finally had to deal with their last batch of business contracts. With the stall building process already completed, they were set to finally sign the last of their dreadful paperwork. Juvia and Gray had went through a ground-breaking drive-thru at McDonalds as a celebration—evident from their Snapchat stories that consisted of Gray pouring an entire cup of fries on his head and to his mouth with the blue-haired girl cheering in the background before the drive-thru lady told them drive the hell out already.

Everything was beginning to set to place but that also mean that first, everything needed to throw itself into chaos. Students were running around the school frantically with their own destinations and the council was even worse. Celebratory McDonalds Drive-Thru or not, Gray and Juvia still had to deal with what Yukino and the boys were doing. Lisanna still had to prepare everything for the cafe's events and the cafe's own business booming loudly in the background. Levy and Gajeel were still leading teams from the Academy to Central and all the other regions.

Everything was still in chaos.

And then this thing happened on a rather pleasant, sunny Thursday afternoon; everything stopped.

No, everything really stopped. Levy and Gajeel weren't helping teams of students out at Central or the other regions. Erza, Kagura and Minerva weren't helping load stalls in trucks. Gray and Juvia weren't wearing their suits. Yukino and the boys weren't collecting a heavy amount of data and travelling rapidly around all of Koharu and dealing with the parade. Lisanna wasn't at the cafe and helping out with the Cooking's Club's collaboration. And I wasn't doing any strictly important paperwork.

I felt myself sitting in a chair with a duffel bag in my shoulders. Eyes a bit blurry, shoulders heavy, breathing a bit steady and my whole body somewhat relieved somehow. I was staring at nothing.

No, I was staring outside. I was staring at the courtyard outside. It was empty. Absolutely empty. Shouldn't there be flocks of students there? I tilted my head and blinked.

"Where's the people supposed to be at the courtyard?" I murmured, not sure if I was really expecting an answer.

Someone answered though, "They're out. What are you talking about?"

My head was snapped back into some kind of reality. And my eyes faced the rest of the room and they widened at the sight.

The whole council. Sprawled around the room. Juvia and Gray sat in the tables, unprofessionally drinking apple juice boxes. Levy and Gajeel suddenly didn't have clipboards anymore. Yukino, Rogue and Sting didn't have laptops out in front of them. Lisanna wasn't situated at the cafe. Erza, Kagura and Minerva weren't out in the courtyard. And I—I wasn't doing any paperwork.

 _There seems to be someone missing._

"Jeez," I heard a laugh, "What are you talking about, blondie?"

It's Gajeel. I stared at him, dumfounded as he went on, "Everything's already been transported back at Central."

"Huh?" I blinked.

Kagura cocked her head, "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Yeah.." I began slowly, "I'm just confused right now."

"Confused?" Minerva cocked an eyebrow, "You just handed in the last of the paperwork a few minutes ago to Juvia."

Juvia looked up, "You did."

Gajeel howled in laughter as Sting added his own chuckles, "Are you alright?"

"I am!" I suddenly reassured, "I-I'm just not sure what's happening. What's the date?"

"The 23rd." Yukino informed, "The 23rd of March."

My eyes flashed in panic, "B-But that's say before..before.."

"..The Koharu City Spring Festival." a voice finished for and I looked up.

And there he was. Natsu Dragneel. Finished from his game of hide-and-seek with me. He wore the trench coat he was wearing when he last had arrived at my apartment. He had a grin etched on his was—no surprise there—and he was leaning against the doorframe.

"Fuckin' actually done your work this time, Flameass." Gray smirked and Natsu seemed a little worn out to actually insult back.

He does anyway; "Can say the same for you, Ice Princess."

"Can say the same for both of you." Gajeel muttered.

The room burst into a bit of laughter and even though I had joined in, I had actually sensed the wash of realisation through my stomach and my lungs and my head and probably my large intestine.

When the laughter fades, I scanned the room before saying; "B-but that means we're.."

"We're done." Natsu declared to finish my sentence. He looked a little tired and exhausted and in a bad need of a nap, but he was still grinning.

"We're done?" I repeated, my voice almost too shocked.

"What did you just do a few minutes ago?" Sting laughed.

"I.."—my head burned through the memory—"I-I gave Juvia a stack of paperwork."

"And before that?" Levy offered a smile.

"I..gave an announcement through the school speakers..for everyone to get to the stadium."

"Jeez, you're becoming a bit of a ditz, head honcho." Natsu chuckled.

"Lucy," Levy continued, "Where are we now?"

My head flashed back into everything. The morning, the weather, the waking-extra-early and finally, the date.

This time I recalled firmly, "We're at the council room. Just behind the stadium."

And then, everything came crashing in.

I whispered, "The Spring Festival is going to begin."

I kinda wanted to scream and laugh and cry of pure happiness.

I repeated to the rest of the council, now with a beam on my face. "The Spring Festival is about to fucking begin!"

This earned a laughter yet again in the council room. My heart was now bursting and I could not contain it. My laugh was echoing throughout the room alongside all my friends so who really even gave a damn? Everyone continued to laugh to themselves as I excitedly leapt off my chair, my feet leading me to one direction.

I hugged Natsu tightly, "Natsu! The Spring Festival! It's about to begin!"

He laughed heartily, "Yeah! I know! We all kinda knew that before you got brain-dead just a few minutes ago!"

"I know!" I can't explain anything; a smile was jumping off my face without any restraint. My head was delirious with bubbling joy and I wanted to practically lose myself in this bliss. Everything was finished. It was actually all fucking finished!

Natsu looked through my eyes, we were still hugging. I was hugging the daylights out of him.

"I came back to you as soon as I could."

I grinned, "I know."

Bisca suddenly appears. She had remained a little unnoticed amongst the chatter and laughter and pure bliss emitting from the room.

"Guys!" she barked, but there was a smile plastered on her face, "Everything's all set. Everyone's up in the stadium."

Natsu doesn't hesitate as he motions the rest of the room;

"Let's go!"

And so we did.

* * *

"Lucy." the redhead had turned to me, gently grabbing my wrist.

"Erza.." I began. We were about to get up on the stage, "What's wrong?"

"I..I think you should do the annual speech this year."

I blinked, "No! I can't do that! You do it every year and ever-"

"I know." she offered a smile, "But..I just think you should do it this year."

The principal's voice was blaring in the background. He was reciting the school motto and taking his speech way too seriously.

"I.." I looked into the redhead's eyes, there was certain kind of blaze to them. A rather solemn one. ".. I will if you really want me to."

"I do." she assured, "I think you'd be great. You've done so much for the council this month. You can do it."

"…Okay."

She smiled and could still feel some kind of aura emitting from the girl but decided not to focus on it for too long. I had a speech to suddenly impromptu to. Erza had always done them each year and no one had really protested otherwise. She was fit for that kind of thing and she always held the school spirit into it and both the staff and students admired it. I wasn't sure how I exactly was going to compare to the redhead.

The principal's voice continued and turns out the council had been called up because Natsu pushes Gray on his way to the lighted stage as everyone follows.

"—present the student council." the old man announced.

We walk a little slowly and I prayed to God that Natsu would not trip Gray over or that Gajeel would trip both over. Everyone stands in line in the bright stage. The ceiling was incredibly high and in front of us—no longer really affecting my nerves—were more than four-hundred students, staring, murmuring and probably talking about that guy in the council who climbed up the school roof with an ice sculpture. I resist the urge to slap a palm over my face.

The principal does not stop just yet and I feel myself panic. "And now, to speak to all of us about coming Spring Festival, we will have student council representative, Erza Sca-"

"Lucy Heartfilia."

The words escape my mouth. Loudly. Through the microphone. Somehow, I had managed to run from my seat to the principal standing in front the microphone perched on its stand; eyes wide, head sorta blurred, actions not quite processed.

I can hear probably Juvia face-palming behind me. I hear Natsu's restrained laugh and Gray's confusion and probably Sting just being hungry again.

The principal is taken aback and has leapt a few steps as I had snatched the microphone in my panic. _God, what the fuck did I do?_

I stuttered for words, "I-uhm..I-I'll be talking to you today..about the Spring Festival."

Four-hundred eyes and probably more on me. I gulped.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-_

"You can do it." Natsu hissed from behind, his voice still restraining his laughs.

I feel my palms sweat against the microphone as the principal now steps back fully. My head spins and I realise I have no idea what the fuck I am doing.

But Natsu did. Yes, Natsu did and Natsu trusted me and Natsu didn't break his promise of coming back to me when he could and Natsu said—actually hissed—to me that he knew I could do it.

And if Natsu knew and thought I could it; then I probably fucking could.

I gulped down my panic; who the fuck cared if you have four-hundred eyes on you? Don't care, don't care, don't care, don't care.

"Today.." I began, not sure what my mouth was really doing, "..I suffered a sudden brain-dead experience."

 _What the fuck am I saying?_

I continued anyway; "..And I'm not sure if it's because I literally collapsed on meeting or if it's because I'm sick. But my guess is a bit..a bit peculiar."

"..This month, we all know everything is hectic." I still have no idea where I am going with this, "And I think back to the business, and the contracts and the meetings and the schedules and the fights.."

'The fights' earn a bit of laughter throughout the stadium and I continued, "..But set aside all of that and you'll find that everything is meant to be that way. I know because it always has. Everyone has contributed.."

I think back to Gajeel and Levy. "..And there are people that wake up at 5am to just meet a couple of people simply supplying the right materials. People who work hard to maintain enough equipment and supplies to be able to make everything a success.."

I think back to Gray and Juvia, "..There are people who are willing to throw away what they actually are to please a few people to be able to make the right deals with businesses and do what they need to do no matter how much it contrasts what they are.."

This earned a few cheers.

I think about Yukino and Sting and Rogue. "..There are people out here who have worked on spreadsheets and the strict database and have travelled vastly all around this city to be able to make this a success…"

I think back to Erza and Kagura and Minerva, "..There are people in this stadium who have used their abilities and skills and leadership to be able to command and to help those who build and create. There are the people who have been through the teamwork and the strength to be able to this a success.."

I think back to Lisanna and Mirajane and Mest and Makarov. I think back to the cafe. "..There are people use their own roots to contribute. People who dedicate their lives to different areas but still help out and join and work hard to be able to make this a success.."

Louder cheers.

Then, I think back to Natsu. "…And then, there are people who dedicate. They dedicated everything. There are people who trust each other and work—so evidently hard—for the people that they care about. People who might be next to you right now, who have done everything they can to get you to smile."—I paused—"Every single one of you, I know, are that person. You have done everything and I mean everything you can to pour your work and your soul and just your everything to make this a success."

Four-hundred students look back at me. Eyes wide, room silent and my head no longer blurred.

"And a success it will be. Because each and every one of you have done that. The council knows that and after a whole month, everyone ought to know that. And everyone ought to be proud of themselves. And this is why I think I suffered a sudden blank moment; we were all captured in our work and our chaos and everything we had set out to do. But that doesn't matter, because it's the effort that counts." I smiled, "So, let me have the honour of presenting the finished product of your hard work.."

I grinned.

"..Let the Annual Koharu City Spring Festival begin!"

And the crowd went wild.

* * *

 **Holy shit.**

 **This was like a rollercoaster for me. Goddamn, it felt good to write those last few sentences. The next three days for me and for the rest of the cast will be pretty fuckin' hectic, that's the only thing I can say.**

 **A few things; changed my username to 'illustraice'!**

 **And also, if you're looking for an upcoming NALU assassination story, hit up 'The Heartfilia Files', my new story. It'll be updated one chapter every week.**

 **Thank you for reading! Reviewers have been infinitely sweet lately, I love you all.**

 **Ice**

 _Ruby; (noun) a precious stone consisting of corundum in colour varieties varying from deep crimson or purple to pale rose._


	33. Java

The morning air felt cool against my skin and the beam on my face was undeniable.

"You are insane." the pink-haired boy told me.

I whipped my head to face him, "What do you mean?"

"You haven't stopped fucking smiling since this morning."

I sighed then laughed. My stomach was bubbling with so much energy, it felt like my head was going to burst. "I'm so excited, Natsu, you do not understand. And you can't talk, you've been screaming your lungs off since we got up."

"I know." he grinned, "You're just showing it way more than me."

"I know." I smiled, "But God, I'—I laughed out of nowhere—"am so excited. So, _so_ excited."

"Got that the first time."

Our location was one of the main highlights of Central; Elizabeth-Dunmore Street. A rather trendy area with a few expensive boutiques to the left and a few more cafes to the right. All alongside the stone pavement that seemed iconic. The sky was still on it's way to fully rising up to greet itself the usual breakfast with cereal, but the faint morning mist was also rather pleasant. Every shop down the corner was closed with a few exceptions.

And another thing; we were currently situated in a flock. Natsu had guessed the current crowd was the whole city by itself and I laughed, telling him as he eventually pulled a shocked face that this was seriously not even a quarter of Koharu. The crowd was buzzing with energy and chatter, pulling Natsu and I with it. When you're a person who had only mildly contributed, it's quite exciting to see the festival's final form, but when you're a person running the whole damn thing—staying up late for paperwork, restless nights and the occasional collapse during meetings—it's a whole different emotion.

Children stood excitedly, hands wrapped around gingerly on their Mother's and Father's own hands. A few people I saw wore a light winter gear due to the morning weather but that wasn't really anything to mind considering what was happening. We all stood before a giant red ribbon tied between two lamp poles. Of course, there was a chance that anybody could just walk past the poles but that seemed somehow taboo and impossible and Natsu would probably pick a brawl with the moron.

Beyond the red ribbon that was going to be cut by the town mayor any moment in a rather movie-like fashionb, were a few stalls already set up. But the street ended just a few steps from there and stopped to two opposite streets; St. Martha Street and Glelg Street. Both streets were hidden away and I knew that they were tucked with stalls and tables and chairs of cafes sprawled around the pavement with baristas all awaiting special orders. There were a few mini carnivals designed for kids, equipped with a few small bouncy castles.

Natsu and I stood eagerly amongst the crowd; not at the front, not quite at the back either. In plain sight were Levy and Gajeel. The duo were operating a stall around the front. Considering they had no more further work, they were assigned by Yukino—for some reason—to do a morning barbecue shift.

A few more moments of chatter amongst the crowd and the familiar old man came forward towards the front as a few people pulled back to make room.

He smiled. Mr. Yajima was a former baker turned member of the city council—somehow—and then turned mayor of Koharu.

"It's been a busy month, hasn't it?" he asked the hushed crowd, to which almost everyone laughed and nodded.

"Yes, yes, it most definitely has been." he continued, chuckling for himself, "I'm sure it's all been put to good use, however, and I hope these next three days will be everything we had set it out to be."

He sighed happily, "Thank you everyone here to greet the Koharu morning and I hope everyone—loud cheers had begun to erupt already—"enjoys Koharu's own annual Spring Festival."

He cuts the giant red ribbon with a smile on his face.

Natsu and I don't even have to think for a moment before we became fully entangled amongst the exhilarated crowd that practically pushed forward through the street.

"Holy shit!" Natsu laughed. He was holding my hand to prevent us getting swept away from each other.

"This is it Natsu!" I practically screamed to the heavens.

And everything seemed so happy and blissful and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if my life depended on it. The Spring Festival. The Spring Festival. Everything I had worked for to make happen, everything I had worked for to allow Natsu to see. It was like my head was about to explode rose petals through the masses.

We walked—or waded with the crowd—to the centre of the area; between St. Martha and Glelg.

My heart leapt so many beats that I wondered if I was even breathing. In that instant, the amount of paperwork and nights and pure exhaustion seemed like nothing. Because I would do it all over again in an instant if asked; just to see the view all over again. I always thought that each year. This year it was stronger than ever.

Stalls were covered around the area where no car was allowed to pass and from the school's gardening club, there were a few hand-made wooden boxes that carried raw soil and tulips. This had been a recommendation from Yukino. I remembered from the chat we had in the little West Wing cafe. There was faint music heard from the speakers and I grinned; throughout the whole ordeal, Natsu had never actually been involved with the radio station. I smiled about knowing that fact and planning to laugh about it later.

"So," the pink-haired boy began, "What's our agenda?"

We were still in some kind of crowd, but we were a bit less squashed between strangers and students now that everyone had suddenly scrambled to reach for their own destination.

"What's your agenda? Do you have the festival map with all the information?"

He scoffed, "I do not need that. I've been in this exact same area for five days straight! Slept in a tent and everything. I know exactly where everything is."

I laughed, "Right. Okay. Then, what's your first priority for the day?"

"I'm actually looking forward to whatever the hell the Cooking Club has arranged with the cafe, but that's still a few hours away."

"12:30, right?" I inquired.

"Yeah." he nodded, "So"—he looked up the sky for a brief moment in thought—"..the manga club's official drawings are happening at this time. The Classical Music Club will always be doing something apparently with their band members literally fuckin' everywhere. Anything you got in mind?"

I laughed for some reason then nodded, "There's a few books I want to check out from the Book Club stalls."

"Wooh!" he yelled, "Hardcore books."

We eventually easily strolled through the street, the crowd now dissolving.

"I'm still reading 'Whispers in the Dark'." I grinned.

"You haven't finished it yet?" he cocked an eyebrow, "I thought you were the fast type of reader."

"I'm trying to be appreciative toward the words. Become avant-grande." I laughed, "I'm reading a chapter every day. I'm pretty sure it's horror now."

"And I thought it was something sexual." he furrowed an eyebrow.

"Everyone did, I think."

Then a thought suddenly burst through my excitement; "What is the time?"

He thought for a moment; "Probably 7:50 or something along the lines of that."

I grinned, "Listen for a moment."

He furrowed an eyebrow and I only continued to grin, squeezing his hand a bit. _Just wait for it._

"What are we listeni-"

"GRAY, GET THE HELL DOWN." a familiar voice boomed loudly throughout the area's speakers. I clearly identified it as the blue-haired girl.

"Jeez, jeez, calm down, woman." the manlier voice came up.

And this was Koharu City's Annual Spring Festival radio station. It had been a quick experiment five years ago and with the five years of positive feedback, it only continued. Only with the original presenters of course. Koharu would take nothing else but Gray and Juvia. Apparently a riot would occur if they weren't the ones doing the radio station.

Juvia's sigh could be heard nearly through the speakers located in practically every corner as old citizens only laughed along whilst new citizens, tourists and travellers widened their eyes.

The familiar voice eventually went on. "Well, this year's Spring Festival ought to interesting. Right, Koharu?"

"..And it'll get even more interesting if you keep threatening me with a frying pan, Juvia." Gray groaned and even more people around us laughed whilst kids fell into hysterics.

"Ignore him." Juvia said, "But this year, we are happy to continue to present Koharu with the best news of events, stalls and even more. I'm Juvia and the moron beside me is Gray. Welcome to Koharu, new ones. And enjoy Koharu, fellow townsfolk."

Gray continued for her, "This year, we have a lot of stuff for everyone and be sure to check out what you can; everything is always worth a try. Except for the woman beside m-"

"Shut it Gray." Juvia interrupted and the laughs everywhere would not stop, "..This year, we have more than enough events. This year's events include.."

As Juvia then recited a list of upcoming events, Natsu only gawked and laughed.

"Ice Princess is doing the radio station?" he stared at me in disbelief and in laughter.

"He's been doing it for five years. A pro. Juvia and him get the best feedback." I smiled, "And they really are quite entertaining."

"Sure as hell love it when Juvia absolutely smashes him."

"Of course you do." I sighed, "Now, wanna get to some breakfast stalls?"

"I thought we were going to the book stalls?"

"They are in Eliza Street and you'd get hungry by then."

"You know me so well."

* * *

We do a quick stop back to Elizabeth Street, it was still flooding in with new people arriving. Gajeel and Levy stood under the green tent. The barbecue was sizzling and it could be heard from a distance alongside clink and clanks of other food stalls.

"Yo! Metalhead." Natsu yelled out to Gajeel, grinning eagerly. He had even prepared his wallet for this encounter.

Gajeel grinned back. He was in a happy mood, I could detect. "How's it going, Flame Ass?"

"Lost." Natsu replied, "And hungry."

Levy laughed. "Of course you are, Natsu."

"So hand over Lucy and I some hot dogs."

"I still don't know why we were assigned to do this by that little Missy." Gajeel sighed. But he seemed to enjoy his time with Levy, nonetheless.

"Who cares? You get to munch on some hotdogs for free at fuckin' 7am in the morning." Natsu shrugged.

"I still don't know why the breakfast stalls have hotdogs." I added.

"Someone's fucked up breakfast logic." Gajeel offered, "Although who the fuck cares when you've got hotdogs for breakfast."

"Serve it up then, Iron Ass." Natsu ordered.

"As you wish, Flame Ass." Gajeel obeyed. They were really getting along today.

And with that, Gajeel snatched a hotdog from the barbecue grill that Levy was monitoring to place on the bread. He does twice and gives Natsu and I our hotdogs.

"Fuckin' amazing." Natsu complimented with a full mouth, "But I could do so much better."

Natsu yanked my hand to pull me back into the crowd before Levy and I could converse and before Gajeel could throw his tongs at the pink-haired boy.

* * *

Walking to the goddamned Book Club stalls was harder than expected. I thought Eliza Street was 'just right around the corner'. And it was. Except 'right around the corner' wasn't really 'right around the corner' if the Spring Festival was involved. Natsu had stopped for three more stalls; he somehow bought candy floss with absolutely no reason as to why he was eating candy floss at 7am in the morning. He and I listened it to a few trumpet players in a corner of the street. We stop by another shop with a 'festival discount' on headphones. Natsu buys a blue pair, I choose a gold one. On occasion, we stop to talk to a few other students we knew and had worked with through the festival. Bisca and Alzack were apparently setting goals on smashing some sniping target booth this year. We stopped by some guy with an acoustic guitar and its case, singing a rather calming song. Natsu and I clapped as he finished with a giant smiled forever etched on his face.

Another thing; the sun has risen. Glowing above the city and adding brilliant morning light to the festival. We walked basking in the sunlight, enjoying it and laughing and laughing and saying things that didn't seem to make sense to others, but certainly made sense to us. I wanted the streets to be endless, so that Natsu and I could just walk to each corner, knowing that there would be something new to laugh to and clap to and give money to. There still remained the certain chatter and buzz of a few crowds. It expanded with each batch that arrived; whether it be tourists or just simple townsfolk that had literally stepped out of their door to greet the morning air and probably more than a thousand people walking around the neighbourhood.

"I wonder where Yuki and the boys are." I pondered out loud.

"Aren't they at the East?" Natsu offered.

"I miss them." I sighed, "I wished they'd get to us already."

"They will be, probably." Natsu assured, "That dumbass, Sting, texted me saying they still have to deal with the parade happening tomorrow."

"It's fuckin' amazing, the parade." I breathed out, really meaning it. My hands were entangled together behind my back and I stared a little helplessly at the sky.

"You've been saying that a million times."

"And I'll say it a million times more."

"What else would you say a million times?"

"..Food is great."

"True."

"I'm disappointed Anya's didn't set up a stall at Central, actually."

"I think they are at the North."

"Yeah, they are." I nodded.

A sudden ring occurred and Juvia's voice once again boomed.

"Well, hello, Koharu. I have a few updates."

Natsu turned to me, "What's this now?"

Gray's voice shot up, " _We've_ got updates."

"Shut up, Gray." Juvia quipped.

Gray didn't do that, "Anyway, whilst Juvia fails to shut me up, let's get into Magnolia Academy's Manga Club that you have to check out."

Juvia continued, "They are currently doing a few quick manga drawings for early customers at just $5. Be sure to hit them up and get yourselves a manga drawing of you and your companions."

"Or you could be alone. That's cool too." Gray added.

"They're at Roseven Street. Be sure to check out your maps and enjoy the festival." Juvia finished off.

There's a tiny ring that signals the end of their quick—and probably successful—advertising.

"Roseven Street." Natsu repeated, "That's near St. Martha, right?"

"No, St. Lucia. You were close."

"Do you want to go?"

"Sure!" I smiled, "I'm friends with the club's president so maybe we can get a discount."

"Isn't $5 already really cheap?"

"You can get another hotdog with that $5."

"Inspirational."

"Aren't I always?"

"Sure. Are we still going to Book Club's stalls then?"

"Hell yeah."

* * *

Natsu and I flicked through the printed short stories, namely the Book Club's blood, sweat and tears all bundled up. Natsu doesn't really seem like the avid reader type, but he still pokes my arm and excitedly shows me a book that seems like it's interesting every once in while. There are stories about wars and knights and princesses. It seemed like the Book Club's theme this year was medieval.

Natsu briefly asked for a story about a dragon. He is handed one from the smiling member about one in Arthurian times. It's mostly focused on wizards and warlocks. There's no princess and I'm pretty sure the dragon burns down everything towards the end. Natsu buys it for a good $10.

I buy two about knights fighting other knights not to capture the heart of the princess, but to fight to find out who kills her instead. Natsu tells me I am a sadist. I sorta agreed.

We were momentarily bombarded with new arrivals when we passed through Elizabeth Street again to reach St. Lucia. Natsu and I hold hands at that point because he had panicked that I might get abducted or something.

We reach the Manga Club eventually and sure enough, there's already crowds flocking theirs stalls, all lined up.

"Goddamnit." Natsu groaned as he continued to bite off his ice cream, "We were too late."

"Hold on." I said as I spotted the familiar figure. "Natalia!"

Natalia Romera. The Manga Club's president. She was quite talented in her work and worked to create the club last year. I was the one to personally allow it through the council and help her build and recruit members.

The girl widened her eyes as she caught the sight of Natsu and I, standing rather blankly, facing the monstrous crowd. She almost sprinted over.

"Lucy!" she exclaimed, beaming, "What can I do for ya?"

"My friend"—I pointed towards Natsu who only continued to eat his ice-cream—"and I want to take this manga drawing thing up. You up for that?"

"Of course." she laughed then turned to the stalls, "And I'm guessing this crowd ain't gonna cut it?"

"Pretty much." I grinned.

She thought for second before saying; "Come on, then. I've got someone."

We followed her as she led us to the back of a stall, where a few art equipment where placed. A young man sat around round the back table, holding a sketchbook as he drew roughly around the page. I think he was drawing some character.

"Hiro." Natalia called out, "This is Lucy—the saviour of the Manga Club—and.." she trailed off as she glanced at the pink-haired boy.

Natsu grinned, "Natsu."

"Yep, Natsu. This is Lucy and Natsu."

'Hiro' looked at us astonishingly. He was a bit too young-looking and I hadn't noticed his face at school.

"He's a distant relative." Natalie explained, "Visiting Koharu. He's an upcoming manga artist at heart, aren't ya, Hiro?" Natalia teased the dark-haired boy.

Hiro seemed familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He was sorta like that feeling of deja vu. Although this time, I was pretty sure I had never met the boy.

"You tease me way too much, Natalia." he grinned. He reminded me a bit of Natsu. Although it seemed like it was more than just similarity. I pushed the feeling aside to smile.

"Hey Hiro." I beamed.

"Sup' bro." Natsu greeted.

"Nice to meet ya." the younger boy replied.

"So, Hiro, how long till' you're going to be working a stall?" Natalia asked.

"Twenty minutes tops."

"Okay. Let's settle on a quick sketch then, nothing fancy with the inks. Maybe just stick to pencil even. You're going to draw Natsu and Lucy."

"Seriously? Awesome." the young man grinned as he already took hold of the pencil that was perched on the clothed table.

"Alright, I'll be back." Natalia waved, "See ya guys."

Natsu and I sat in the chairs across the younger man. He was cheerful, a bit bashful. He reminded me of something, I just didn't really know it and I just wasn't too focused on it.

"Why the sudden visit to Koharu, Hiro?" I asked.

The boy shrugged, "I just needed some inspiration. As Natalia spoiled earlier, I'm kinda hoping to be a manga artist one day."

"Going pro, my man, going pro." Natsu recited before I whacked him in the arm, "Ow!'

"Do you like it here? Have you gotten your inspiration so far?" I inquired.

"It's nice." Hiro smiled, "And yeah, I have gotten a bit of inspiration already. You guys are serving as one right now."

"Really?" I widened my eyes, biting back an excited grin.

"Well," Hiro began, "Natsu reminds me a dragon and Lucy, your hair sorta reminds of me something shiny."

"Like gold? Jewellery?" I asked.

"Those gold chocolate coin money thingies?" Natsu offered.

"No." the younger boy laughed, "I don't know. Keys, maybe?"

"Car keys?" Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, "Lucy starts up an engine?"

"Not that either. Like, I don't know, uhmm…golden keys. Something like that." he continued to sketch down his book as he talked.

"I remind you of a dragon?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow.

Hiro held a finger to point on Natsu's arm, "Your tattoo."

"Ahh." Natsu grinned, "Saint Cecilia. Yeah, she's a badass."

"Saint Cecilia?" the younger man repeated.

"She burns down people to let them go to heaven." I vaguely explained. Hiro laughed.

"You guys make the funniest duo. Add in a cat and that's a manga right there."

"Happy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Natsu's cat." I explained, "Kmart looks at us like we're criminals because of him."

Natsu snorted, "Kmart looks at the whole council like criminals."

"True." I nodded.

"What do you guys do?" Hiro now asked.

"Fuck shit up." Natsu replied.

"Not fuck shit up. We're running Magnolia Academy's council." I explained.

"That's great." the younger boy nodded, "Must be pretty hectic."

"Yes, do you wanna know about the part where I fuckin' jumped up the roo-"

I interrupted Natsu before he could influence and give Hiro ideas, "Yeah, it is. But we're happy with the finished product. Are you applying to the Academy?"

"Nah." the boy shook his head, "I gotta get back to where I came from. I'm only here because I'm trying to lay my mind off to find some inspiration. It's going great right now, by the way."

"Glad to know we could help." I smiled, "Remember us when you're famous out there with thousands of fans."

Natsu, Hiro and I laughed. The younger boy nodded afterwards, "Sure will. I'll even give you credit or something."

"You're a good man, Hiro." Natsu spoke seriously, "Make sure to send me money too."

"I will, Natsu." Hiro chuckled then tore the page from his book, handing us the sketch.

It was rather rough. A bit sharp around the edges but soft at the same time. Natsu and I were on the centre of the page, eyes shut close whilst grinning. Half of my hair in the drawing was pulled to the side and Natsu's hair was spiky. It looked so much like him yet it didn't seem to make sense, considering Natsu had his hair tied up in a messy low ponytail. The drawing obviously needed a few more years of work, but the way it was drawn now—unrefined and rough—still somehow sent a shiver down my spine. I loved it for the way it was. Hiro was talented for a young age; I calculated that he'd need four or five years to really get it down pat.

Natsu grinned at Hiro as his eyes leapt off the page, "I'll consider the hairstyle in another life, bro."

"Good to hear it." Hiro replied.

"Thank you so much for the drawing, Hiro." I smiled, "What's your last name, by the way? Romera?"

Hiro laughed, "No, Natalia's a really, _really_ distant relative. It's Mashi-"

The bell rang almost monstrously and the voice boomed, "Gray, stop eating goddamned chips whilst we're recording."

"Let me live my life." Gray had protested.

"Those idiots." I face-palmed.

"Guess we better go." Natsu stood up.

I followed, "Okay. Take care, Hiro. Good luck with your stall! Oh and your manga!"

He grinned then waved us off as we left.

We fell back to the buzzing crowds, taking back in the feeling of chaos and chatter. This time, I didn't mind it and I certainly wasn't collapsing to it. Juvia and Gray continued their banter through the speakers whilst Natsu, the whole of Koharu and I laughed.

Natsu and I got lost for three hours. We don't really mind the streets and crowds and constant noise anymore. I don't really tell him he's going to get diabetes when he goes in for another cotton candy stall anymore. He and I laugh and walk mindlessly around the streets without a single destination. He and I sometimes have to hold hands when there are in massive crowds. Sometimes we get lost and end up strolling back to the same street all over again. That doesn't really even matter because no matter how many times we pass that street, there always ends up being something new. New stalls, new people, new crowds and music and new insults to Gray from Juvia over the speakers. There's so many things that I could get lost in whilst basking in the sun that shone above.

Eventually we end up near Kingston Street, where FT Cafe is situated. As if on cue, the bell rings to greet in Juvia and Gray.

"Hello, Koharu. Juvia and Gray again." the blue-haired girl spoke nothing less of confidence. I loved that about her.

"Do not miss out on the event of the day or Juvia will kill you." Gray continued for her, "Here comes the Cooking Club's main event; The Cake Festival."

"Make your cake and let a partner guess it accordingly all within just a few short minutes. We'll be looking forward to this event's results. We're hoping for a certain school council member's success.."

"Are we talking about ourselves?" Gray had suddenly asked.

"No. You would burn the place down if you baked."

"As if you're any better."

"Coming from someone who lost it over a potted pla-"

The voices were cut off and I laughed at the fact that Gray was probably responsible. The 'Mini Pot Plant' incident was not to be spoken off.

"A Cake Festival." Natsu fist-pumped the air, "This is what I'm fuckin' talking about."

"Let's go then." I grinned.

Not quite to my surprise, as Natsu and I arrived to the cafe, there were mini table kitchens sprawled around the street, alongside a crowd. Minerva and Kagura were amongst the crowd and I cocked an eyebrow.

We headed to them without warning, "Minerva! Kagura!" I called out.

Kagura beamed, "Lucy! Natsu!"

The words came out of my mouth too late; "Where's Erza?"

Their demeanours instantly turned for the worse. And I quickly tried to revise myself, "I-I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to-"

Minerva smiled apologetically, "It's okay, Lucy. It's fine. She's at the East."

"The East?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow, "What's wrong there?"

"Apparently a few speakers need to be set up there. They don't even really need the extra help..but she had insisted." Kagura explained, the tone in her voice unfamiliar. I felt my head go a bit dizzy; I didn't like the fact that Kagura was solemn that way.

I felt my throat go dry, "..I'm sorry."

They quickly jumped into defence, "It's nothing!" Kagura nearly exclaimed, "You've got nothing to be sorry about, Luce."

"Erza can handle herself." Minerva added, although the tone in her voice told me she wasn't quite convincing herself.

"I guess." I sighed then eventually grinned, "So, you guys up for the Cake Festival, huh?"

Minerva grinned almost evilly, "We're going to kick anyone's asses on this, just you watch."

Natsu seemed to have decided this was his time; "Oh, we're not going to fuckin' watch you just kick everyone's asses."

"What?"

"Lucy, we're entering. Now." Natsu declared.

"Natsu, you can't fucking bake and if you tried, you're going to set everything on fucking fire, just watch."

"Nope, we're entering and that's fuckin' final no matter what, I will kick these girls' asses."

"That sounds wrong." I protested.

"Fine. I will watch them burn fiercely in the gray ashe-"

"Natsu, we're not entering."

"Yes, we are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yes, you are." a voice called out. Natsu and I whipped our heads around as Kagura and Minerva looked on.

Mirajane had her hair up in a ponytail alongside Lisanna. They both wore aprons and they were both sporting the infamous 'Strauss' smile. That smile was deathly, something like Regina George, but even worse. Like Regina George, but with heels meant for kicking ass. The Strauss gene was enviable.

"You are." Lisanna repeated, grinning. "Lucy and Natsu. It's already been set."

"What?" I breathed out.

"Fuck yeah!" Natsu fist-pumped both hands into the air.

"But why are we suddenly in it?" I asked.

"Do it for the spirit, head honcho." Lisanna replied, "Or else your really, _really_ inspirational speech would mean absolutely nothing."

I sighed, "True. So this was the mystery event you weren't telling me about for ages?" I nudged Lisanna's arm playfully.

"Yup." the white-haired girl laughed, "You were just so insistent on knowing that you made me want to do the opposite. And anyway, the Cooking Club were dead set on making the event top-secret."

"They were." Mirajane nodded.

"Why?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"It's the Cooking Club, you don't question the motives of those guys." Lisanna shrugged then laughed.

"That's true." Minerva and Kagura agreed.

A crowd was beginning to form around the cafe. Juvia and Gray's radio advertisement really were effective.

"You think you can beat us, pink hair?" Minerva teased.

"I know we can beat you." Natsu quipped.

"Prove it." Kagura challenged.

"We will." Natsu didn't back down and I proceeded to whack him in the arm, "Ow!"

* * *

I'm not sure how I ended up in Cooking Club's Cake Festival. I'm not sure how I'm suddenly wearing a checkered apron and am about to run to a wooden 'kitchen' table with variations of ingredients placed. Natsu owed me his life and probably more for this.

Lisanna and and Mirajane were quite ecstatic about the whole ordeal. The Cake Festival was part festival and part your partner just eating your food. And because papers, scissors, rock is a goddamned jerk, Natsu was the one eating the cake that I supposedly was going to make. He tells me that he'll bake me a cake afterwards, in the distant future. Somehow the whole thing requires us to hand over $15. Goddamned $15 for Natsu to just eat some food. I sighed.

The whole thing is a bit simple; every contestant—currently fifteen alongside their partners—would be creating a cake. I was fairly sure from how Mirajane and Lisanna were explaining that meant that there would be some kind of hidden rule revealed in the future. I pushed the thought away however. Their partners had to not know which cake was theirs and after everyone had their cakes baked inside the cafe's ovens, each partner had to guess. It was an easy concept; maybe even unoriginal. But that didn't really stop Natsu.

So we stood there as the competition was about to begin.

"Are you not even worried, Natsu?" I asked. He was sitting in the chair blindfolded. He had to be like that for fifteen to twenty minutes straight. It was how they would avoid the partners knowing.

He was grinning. He might as well could have been leaping up and down in his excitement. "I'll know. I'll know which one is yours."

"How the hell are you going to know? And if you happen to goddamn pick the best one, we're going to lose. Because the best one is going to be Minerva's and you know, that's not really me." I explained.

"I'll just know, Luce. I will."

"You fuckin' moron."

"Hey! I'm the one that payed!"

"Yeah. For me to goddamned bake a cake. This might as well be slavery."

"Slaves did not get paid $15 for baking a cake Lucy. Stop being a hypocrite." he teased.

"That's not the point!"

"No, the point is that I payed $15 and ya know, I could've donated that to the charity, but no, I'm giving it away to get you to bake a cake and I'm going to know which cake is yours then boom, we get the giant teddy bear prize." he grinned.

"I don't need a giant teddy bear, Natsu."

"Nobody in this goddamned competition needs a giant teddy bear, but we're still going through with it." he argued, "It's the spirit. Remember your speech."

"Fuck, why is everyone turning my inspirational speech against me?"

"It's a great convenience." he shrugged, "Now, let's get baking."

"You mean I'll get baking?"

"Do it for the vine."

"I don't have vine."

"Do it for the spirit."

"Fuck."

And then Mirajane held the bell and rang it. And I ran for my life and Natsu's $15 to the wooden kitchen.

* * *

Goddamnit, Minerva was already ahead of me. I'm pretty sure a lot of people were already ahead of me. Probably because they knew what the fuck they were doing. I, however, was holding a whisk and boil, looking maybe even blankly at the ingredients in front of me. They're all essentials for baking a cake with additional that could make it your own; food colouring, carrots, a few fruits and so on. There wasn't even a recipe; we couldn't have recipes. This thing was for people with recipes already taped inside their heads. People who were not me.

 _Fucking fuck._

My mind jumbled into an undefined mess, I quickly added in the flour and sugar to the bowl, not really even estimating how much I was dumping in. Next came the eggs. _Any cake has to have at least these three, right?_

I added in the goddamned pre-softened butter. At that point, things were going pretty well. I was mixing the batter. It wasn't too bad. I even thought maybe it'd actually stand a chance of making someone not vomit. Maybe Natsu would not have to be sent to hospital in a dramatic sequence of events that will have to get explained to a confused doctor after all.

As I mixed on, I had briefly noticed that the sun was now fully out. And that I was sorta enjoying myself. That didn't happen everyday when it comes to baking. The crowd around the area had also expanded, it was _Masterchef_ for them.

It would be a quick chocolate cake. It didn't really even bother me that it was the most simple thing to bake on earth; everyone else in the competition had extravagant cake ideas already. I was pretty sure that Minerva was whipping up strawberry cake for Kagura. They were going to fucking win. But that thought didn't really even bother me—it'd probably bother the pink-haired boy—I was only happy that Natsu could eat what I had made and not choke his lungs out. Maybe that was a sadistic thing to think. _God, I really am a sadist._

I grabbed hold of the cocoa powder perched neatly on the bench alongside the greased cake pan. I could only sprinkle the tiniest portion before Lisanna's voice boomed to interrupt.

"Hold on!" she yelled, "Contestants! Hold your horses because we've got a surprise announcement!"

 _Fuck. Shit. I knew it._

She continued, "We here at FT Cafe always like to mix things up. The Cooking Club agrees too. So hear us when we say every chocolate cake is disqualified! Five minutes left, people!"

A series of 'boos' and laughter and one or two contestants groaning as they pulled their hands to their face occurred. I was dead silent. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

I faced the bowl I was gripping intensely below me; to my relief, literally there was only the slightest sprinkle of cocoa powder.

I scanned the extra ingredients around me. Strawberries? _No, Natsu would think that'd be some kind of a joke between Minerva and Kagura._ Carrots? _No, no time at all to get that prepared._ Walnuts? _Isn't he allergic or something?_ Vanilla? _He'd think it'd be just some other random._ Blueberries? _Oh fuck, he hates blueberries. But that might be sending a signal to him, as you know, his hatred or something. Maybe he'll know. Maybe he won't. Fuck, I don-_

My eyes meet the little plastic container. Coffee powder.

Natsu and I loved coffee. We both craved it. He liked it a bit more sweet, I like it a bit more towards bitter. But what message did that even send via fucking cake? I scanned the area and found that the other contestants had left their own container of coffee powder untouched. It wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Maybe it'd be a bit too bitter. I didn't know.

In some kind of hasty recklessness, I snatched the container and sprinkled a generous amount in the batter, covering the cocoa powder. I did the quickest round of whisking for a solid minute as I continued to feel like one of those cooking show hosts then poured the batter into the cake pan. I had finished early.

Lisanna came over to pick up the cake pan with its batter, taking the pan and throwing me a wink. I sighed. The thing would take fifteen minutes or so on to bake.

And maybe, within those fifteen minutes and 'so on', I would be able to regain my dignity.

I highly doubted it.

* * *

Natsu walked in pace with the other 'partners' gingerly though the long table filled with cakes on plates. He was holding his spoon the way he held his clipboard and pen; like a kid.

We weren't allowed to talk nor even give each other eye contact for the Cooking Club's fear of secret communication. He and the other contestants just stood there, skimming through the various arrangements of cake. And everyone looked on with excited chatter. Each partner were to take a test bite of each cake and by the end, guess who was their partners. This is what it felt like to be in Masterchef.

The anticipation had gripped the crowd through the thrilling ten minutes of strangers eating cake. It sorta fascinated and freaked me out both at the same time. I had gotten a message from Levy that Gajeel had ate a shitton of hotdogs after their shift. I try to think about how many did Gajeel eat to take my mind off the actual excitement and anxiety I was being pushed into from the pink-haired boy having to guess which cake was mine.

And eventually, as the crowd grew silent from Mirajane holding the microphone to her lips, the anticipation hit the maximum. "Alright everyone. We've got our lovely contestant partners. Let's give them a clap for their impressive digestion system."

The crowd laughed then clapped. Natsu was standing amongst the fifteen other partners whilst I stood next to Minerva, watching on.

Mirajane strolled glamorously towards a light-haired man holding a piece of paper that had written 'Jake'.

"So, Jake." she beamed, "You're guessing for your partner, Olivia. Which cake did you think was hers?" she held the microphone to him as the man smiled.

"Number 14. The Strawberry and Blueberry."

Mirajane did this for the following other customers until she finally meet with the pink-haired boy standing in the edge of the line, a grin on his face. My head was burning now.

"Hey Mira." Natsu greeted before she could even say anything. The crowd chuckled.

Mira smiled, "Hello, Natsu. You will be guessing your partner, Lucy's cake. Give us your shot."

My hands sweated. My knees felt wobbly. Was it is actually fucking possible to get nervous over someone guessing which cake was the one you baked for the sake of $15? Goddamned Natsu Dragneel could prove everything was what I thought.

Kagura guesses that Minerva had whipped up the hazelnut cake whilst almost everybody else guesses what Minerva actually baked; the Blueberry and Strawberry. The dark-haired girl beside me tried her best to not jump up to Kagura and strangle her. I tell her she should engage in Buddhism to calm her nerves.

He smiled then paused. I knew he was trying to tense up the crowd.

"..Number 12. The coffee cake."

My head exploded in happiness. I forced myself not scream. What made him think that? Was it bad enough that Natsu realised it couldn't have been anyone else's but mine?

Mira smiled softly as she turned back to the crowd. "Let's tally up the results!"

Lisanna almost sprinted over to her sister, gripping a piece of paper which I assumed to be the results. Mira takes it and to hand over the satisfaction for the crowd, she proceeds to tell the contestants what their partners had actually baked, much to their facepalms and Kagura's restrained cry of agony. I remind myself to suggest to her Buddhism. Everyone else had failed to guess and I was losing my mind silently. Natsu was about to receive the news and a giant teddy bear.

Mira eventually reached the pink-haired boy in his excitement. "Okay, Natsu. You guessed that Lucy had baked Number 12's coffee cake."

The crowd silenced and listened on. "..And he's right!"

Cheers erupted and so did Natsu. His hands balled to a fist and raised triumphantly to the air. My heart leapt through my chest. Those things happened when Natsu was like that. Minerva chuckled and waved her 'congratulations' whilst Kagura instantly sprinted over to hug the dark-haired girl for her forgiveness. I glanced at the two hugging it out and tried to imagine them as Buddhists. I failed then laughed as Natsu reached over to me. He was already screaming.

"I told you! I told you!" he exclaimed. But before he could say more and practically lift me off the ground in a hug, Mira's voice boomed.

"Natsu and Lucy will be receiving the second prize of the day. Whilst the winners, Kagura and Minerva, will be receiving our first prize, the giant teddy. Congratulations everyone!"

The area turned almost pin-drop silent. And Natsu croaked out, "What?"

Mirajane replied innocently; "Kagura and Minerva. The winners? Minerva's cake got the most guesses?"

The two girls behind us widened their eyes.

And the cheers and Natsu's scream of agony followed.

* * *

We were walking alongside Lienberg Street. Natsu had finally toned down his complaints. Turns out Mirajane had stuffed up everything up except the final outcome and we were stuck with the second prize; ironically, the coffee cake.

"I will sue them." he chewed the cake angrily. We were holding out plates of the coffee cake and eating them using plastic forks. Non-objectively, it was a great prize but objectively, Natsu was taking this to court apparently.

"Sure you will."

"I cannot believe they gave me that happy ending then pushed it back to kick me on the ground like a bitch."

"You must've gone out there to have a good time then got attacked."

"Don't heal me with memes."

"You're already healing."

"Fuck."

I laughed, "I wanted to ask; how'd you get the guess?"

He paused to take another bite whilst I waited patiently. I wondered if it had anything to do with the cake being bitter. We would have to take the train ride home soon. Just in a few hours. There's still an enormous amount of people situated at Central and I wondered how many people were up at the North Wing. I wondered if Anya's was still open.

He finally answered, "The chocolate announcement."

"What?"

"That announcement where every plain chocolate cake was disqualified. We could hear it. I heard a few people mourn over it but I didn't hear you, so you must've been just panicking or something. I figured you would go for something simple like chocolate cake at the start." he explained.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words are a little non-existent so he continued.

"When I tasted all the other cakes, there was nothing like coffee. It was probably the unpopular choice. But you like it." he grinned, "I remember; you like it bitter."

I try to keep the massive beam off my face but it's not working at all. I show only 75% of it.

"So I chose it. That's it."

I laughed. My head loving his words. Natsu picked it because he knew me. He knew he was going to know. He knew it all already. I wondered if any smile could convey every feeling I was taking in. I calculate that it might not be possible.

I grinned, "Okay."

We walk silently. That's what we do. There's nothing much to say but it's mostly already been said. But I keep a little thought tucked away for myself; coffee cake. Of course, Natsu would guess because he knew we both liked coffee. But maybe in another life, he could guess because he knew he was like that. Thrown at me in a blink of an eye. Unprepared, unplanned. Natsu was like that. I didn't at all despise it. Coffee is bitter but it can be sweet. It can also be in the middle. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it was surely mine. And I wouldn't have done anything to that batter if it weren't for that little container with the coffee powder. Yes, Natsu was like that. He was thrown at me in the most unexpected moment. A can of Monster flashed briefly through my head.

I supposed the festival was everything. Yes, it was. It was what I had worked for in the last five years. But I had really only done it for the sake of it. It was a sense of duty, almost. It felt strange to work for something other than the fact that it's your duty. I had worked because the Spring Festival was everything for the pink-haired boy to see. If Natsu saw it, then everything was worth it. That's how I had felt.

Unexpected, unplanned, unprepared. Practically the opposite of the festival.

And not-so-in-another-life, Natsu was my coffee cake.

* * *

 **Damn. This chapter man. I had to skip Wednesday's update (so, so sorry) because I was so busy and thinking about this one chapter. Like the first day of the Spring Festival was 'the' chapter that needed a big spotlight. So here comes 7,000+ words. I really want to make the next following chapters 4,000+ because it's the Spring Festival, it deserves it.**

 **I swear to God, you guys have been the sweetest things on Earth. I love you all for reviewing, thank you so much.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Ice**

 _Java; (noun) coffee._


	34. Blaze

This time, it's not too cold in the morning.

Not that it was that cold in the first festival morning anyway, but the weather on the second day of the festival had turned for the better, it had seemed. Usually Natsu would been the one to have to be bombarded with pillows and threats in the morning, but he had shown up to my room with Happy and repeatedly slam dunked the couch pillow onto my head to wake me up. Apparently the sun had woken him up. The sun and Natsu had some kind of spiritual connection together. That what I could only theorise.

As we headed for the early train station back to Central, we stopped by Anya's, got your usual bagels, took in a little early morning banter about the scifi genre—I had never seen Star Wars or anything—and proceeded to get our asses back to Central via Vinfalk Street, where two familiar figures greeted us.

"What's happening, Flame Ass?" the dark-haired boy grinned. They were standing at the edge of Marcia Street, a giant crowd behind the two grinning figures.

Natsu almost dropped his jaw, "Ice Princess! What the fuck are you doing here?"

"To enjoy the Spring Festival, dumbass!"

Juvia smiled then explained, "We've been let off the hook for just a little while by the city council. The radio station is going to proceed in a few hours though."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Is the advertising not doing good or something?"

"No!" Gray exclaimed, "Practically the fucking opposite, actually."

"People have gone and bombarded every place we've said to go to yesterday." Juvia laughed.

"Figures." I chuckled.

"So, where are you guys going to?"

Gray and Juvia stared at each other. It seemed like that thought had never actually occurred to either of them. Natsu and I laughed.

I waved a hand, "Don't worry, we'll get you guys around."

"It's his fault." Juvia pointed accusingly at Gray, who cocked an eyebrow, "We've been so busy that we don't even have a clue where to go once we're done with work."

"Hey! Don't blame it all on me!" Gray protested.

I laughed, "What do you guys think you want to check out anyway?"

No replies until Juvia suddenly suggested; "..I heard the Short Film Club were showing a few of their works at the West."

"But it's 8am." Natsu argued.

I turned to him, "What about it?"

"We're going to the theatres at 8am?"

"You ate hotdogs and cotton candy at 7am." I argued.

"Oh yeah." Natsu gaped, "Guess that makes sense."

"Then let's go!" I motioned the group.

Juvia stopped in her tracks, "But you guys just got to Central!"

"She's right." Gray mentioned, "You guys don't have to take the trouble. Well, you don't have to take the trouble, Lucy. Not sure about Flame Ass."

I chuckled whilst Natsu narrowed his eyes confusedly; he was too focused on finishing off his bagel to really understand Gray's insult.

"Who cares?" I took hold of Juvia's hand, leading the blue-haired girl towards the train. She seemed a little restrained and surprised at first but went along with it.

Natsu and Gray took this as the green light, following after us.

The truth is; I was feeling a little reckless. That seemed a little far-fetched, because the reckless was usually the pink-haired boy's duty. But I took hold of it when I could. There's nothing to feel safe for when it came to my friends. I liked being lost and unfound and finding new things. I liked the walks and the sun and Hiro's drawing yesterday. I liked all these incomprehensible things; things I couldn't quite explain and never really will. I liked the emotions that seems so ineffable; it's a little expected and it's new and warm. Happiness, sadness, loneliness, recklessness; those were things that could be explained. Whatever the hell I was feeling was certainly something else.

It's a little new. I could get used to it and share it around. Starting with my two old best friends.

* * *

"What are the short films about?" I asked the familiar figure. Anna Kingston, I think.

The girl smiled warmly, "Well, we have Ghost Town and then Anne Loverly and they are more towards th-"

I smiled then cut her off, "We'll watch all of them."

"What?" Natsu whispered behind me.

Anna Kingston looked a little surprised, "T-that would be about $60 in total for all eleven films."

"Wait, what?" Natsu repeated behind me.

I pulled out my wallet and handed the girl $100. Natsu whispers profanities behind me and Gray and Juvia are sending me confused expressions. Anna Kingston eyed me warily before handing the $40 change. She points a hand towards Theatre #4 and we walk a little slowly.

"Lucy, what the hell is going on?" Gray asked as we strolled.

I laughed, "We're watching the Short Film Club's eleven feature films that they created, Gray."

He sighed, "Yeah, I got that, but why are we watching all eleven of them? For your $60?"

"You could've got a lot of food for that $60, Luce." Natsu pointed out beside me.

"It's only 15 minutes each film with maybe a few ones going 20 minutes, guys." I mentioned. My hands gripping the plastic popcorn bowl. I was already feeling exhilarated. It was way too early. It's 8am and I was about to watch eleven films with three friends of mine.

"I'm up for it if the Ice Princess doesn't strip and sleep mid-way through." Natsu nodded.

"I'm up for it because you paid $60, Lucy." Juvia breathed out, "And I still can't believe you just handed them $60."

"She's the head honcho, she's got the dedication and the inspirational speech to back her up." Gray shrugged as he sat in the first seat. Juvia, Natsu and I follow and suddenly we realise that we're the only ones in the entire theatre.

"Well, it is 8am." Juvia finally added in.

"Pray for the Short Film Club's profits, people." Gray muttered.

"Shut up Gray." Juvia quipped as the screen turned up.

"Suck on it, Ice Princes-"

"Natsu, shut it." I added.

It seemed 'Ghost Town' was up first.

* * *

Short films are nothing that have really sparked my interest before.

Films in general aren't usually my thing. Of course, Natsu and I are always watching movies of all kinds, but that was Natsu's requests. Sorta. We did it because we could and because it was fun making David Attenborough commentary. Otherwise, it wasn't the go-to for me. Books or writing took that position.

But when the Short Film Club's tiny masterpieces appeared on that screen, it was an entirely different feeling. There's little tidbits on what anyone feels and what anyone thinks. It's a little subtle, but it's there. They're a little inexplainable. They're happy and sad and solemn at the same time.

Natsu watched on with me, whilst Gray and Juvia made our David Attenborough commentary look like nothing; they talked about the 'philosophy' of the film, they described the girl's dress to be 'something, something, giraffe-print'. They argued about a giraffe print, Gray tells the Juvia it's just plain brown, Juvia is convinced it's spotted. They had paused and suddenly asked if giraffes even had a print. Juvia wins the argument mischievously by just saying that the dress looked liked 'something, something, penguin-print.' But they argued about what penguin print even was afterwards.

The third film is horror. All of us loved it. Gray told the guy in the screen to kill the other guy by freezing him to death. Juvia suggests death by drowning. Natsu shrugs and says something along the lines of just putting the body in the fireplace. I tell myself they're all sadists and need Buddhism. Other than that, the film isn't at all hollow. The main character kills the other guy because the other had tormented his head his whole life. Manipulation and it hurt him badly. He doesn't have a bad ending, however. He ends up in a flower field towards the end. It's a little heartwarming until Gray suggests a sequel with a zombie apocalypse.

The fifth film is innocence. It's about naive girls and gossip and happiness in schools and talks about boyfriends. Until the main character's sister disappeared without a trace. Everything takes a horrid turn and Gray silences and breaths out 'fuck' when the main character find her sister's body. It's a little sickening but I kept my eyes glued on the screen. There was no way I could find myself talking them off until the end.

The seventh film or eight or ninth film are a blur of laughs between all four of us. Gray constantly bickers with Juvia whilst Natsu and I laugh. There's one about knights and princesses and I wasn't sure how they got ahold of such convincing costumes. I conclude they must've struck good deals with the Costume-Making Club this year. It's about a knight looking desperately for a princess and he meets others along the way, seeking for their help. Through it however, he ends up making everyone else fall in love with said princess via his words of undying love. They march and find the beautiful lady herself. A female knight wins and Juvia screams of happiness.

There's another about a female artist. The film is drowning in art materials. They emphasise the sound of charcoal roughly skimming through the paper. They show pieces of art that I concluded must've been generous donations from the Art Club. The main character has a rather ignorant boyfriend. Natsu hissed every time the male appeared on the screen and Gray constantly repeated that said character is 'a fucking moron' and it takes Juvia to prevent the dark-haired girl from throwing something at the screen. The main character tries to find a model and find one in another girl that she constantly spots in her school's hallways. My heart shifts as we find out said girl is blind. The story ends with a kiss. Take a guess who it was between.

There's one pointed towards action. It's about drag races. It's exhilarating and breathtaking and I have no idea how the hell the Short Film Club shot the whole thing. I reminded myself to ask them later. Gray and Natsu expect themselves to enjoy this one thoroughly. And they do. Except Juvia and I are banging our hands rather violently on our chair sides with each race. We were screaming rather mindlessly at the screen. Turns out drag races are a good way to get women angry. Because it takes both Gray and Natsu to prevent Juvia and I brawling over who was going to win in the last race. Natsu whispers that maybe we should _all_ have a go at Buddhism.

The tenth is a little different. I felt a little different. It's about cold tiles and schedules and meetings. It kinda reminds me of someone. It's a bit distinct and I take a guess that they shot this one at either the South or at Central. The dialogue was cold and harsh and emotionless. It made my head feel a little dizzy. Natsu asked if I'm okay once I realised that I had gone a little too silent. I reassure him it's fine. And it was fine; I wasn't feeling sick or anything. What I was watching felt too real and it wasn't transporting me anywhere; not in a magical kingdom of some sort, not in a little girl's world of naivety. It was simply being itself and somehow I had excused myself mid-way through the film—about ten minutes in—to walk hastily to the bathroom. I didn't know exactly what I was feeling but it was certainly a surprise to find tears prickling down my cheeks through my reflection of the clear bathroom mirror.

I came back to the theatre around the start of the eleventh. I sat silently as the others watched on. This one was different as well, but it was a unique kind. It's about flashes of happy memories; it's people wading through streets in their bicycles and people laughing and crying and dancing. Pretty girls spinning in their dresses out in the sun. I think it was supposed to be in Rome or something. Maybe some kind of huge city. It's about new air and new light; looking through things not the way you see them, but how others would. It's about people getting lost in their own thoughts. It's set with some catchy acoustic music. I can't wipe the smile off my face by then; it impressively gathers the silence of all four of us. There's no real plot line in this story; it's just tiny little patches of emotions pulled together to make some kind of incomprehensible bundle. It's nothing bad; it had shots of certain things. Tiny things; tiny nothings. Nothings that seemed to mean something to whoever shot it. It seems that way. There's bits and pieces of dialogue that I might never decipher.

Eventually the movie ends. And I felt like I was holding my breath. There's something about the eleventh. It's comfort and happy. The movie ends with a girl standing idly down an empty street. Watching everything pass by; watching the pavement, watching whatever the hell seemed like it was worth the watch. It's about acceptance, I think. Taking in and taking out the air of something new, that was what I thought. Maybe things like that didn't hit people so easily, but I found the meaning somewhere along the way.

I thought of Natsu. What the hell was he doing here in Koharu? More or less, where was he before? What are the motives? What exactly made him go here again? Was it just Gray? Was he always like this? What have I been doing this whole time? Working through paperwork for this? Just for the Spring Festival? Just for that? Just for Natsu—Natsu with the pink hair and the one who guessed which cake was mine—to see? And then what? Keep this happy memory? Just like those patches of happy memories in the eleventh? What comes after this whole ordeal? Just take it then leave? I didn't think so. Not when I had just gotten started.

I suppose it isn't exactly the best thing to realise something so significant in something like a movie theatre, but I guess as long as it was there, it didn't matter.

I laughed wildly as the movie ended; I didn't have the heart to explain to all three what exactly was amusing me so much.

I was trying to make this place his home.

* * *

We leave the movie theatre after telling the club that every movie was great. They beamed so greatly, it was like watching the sun rise happily. We walk back to the train station. The sun was out and I was loving this weather. It felt a little like summer even though I was aware the colder days would eventually hit back without warning.

"You guys have anything planned here?" Gray asked.

"Nothing, we're just heading back to Central. Things ought to be interesting there." I answered as Natsu was finishing off the last of the popcorn beside me, "You guys?"

"Same thing, actually. Except we're getting our asses back to the radio station." Juvia groaned.

I laughed, "You guys love it, don't lie."

"You guys sounds like you're having the time of your life as the presenters." Natsu nodded.

Juvia grinned, "Sure, I'm having the time of my life tormenting him."

"And I'm _really_ am having the time of my life being tormented." Gray sighed. Juvia hits him playfully and they laugh. They really are quite the duo.

"What did you think of the movies, Natsu?" I turned to ask the pink-haired boy.

"It was good." he grinned through the popcorn, "Except for the part where Juvia and you almost went off."

"Drag races are dangerous." Gray added.

"No, drag races are exciting." Juvia argued, "I would love to compete like that."

"Of course you would, Track and Field captain." I chuckled.

Natsu takes this as news, "Seriously?!"

Juvia cocked her head and laughed, "Wait, you didn't know, Natsu?"

Gray shook his head; "You really are a dumbass."

Natsu frowned, "Shut it, Ice Princess. And how come I didn't know this?"

"I thought I mentioned it to you, Natsu." I told him.

"No, you did not!"

"Don't worry, Natsu!" Juvia continued to howl of laughter, "Not everybody even knows. I mean everybody in the council does, but not really everyone in the school this time."

"If everyone in the council did, then how come I fuckin' did not know?" Natsu shook his head.

"Because, I'm the former captain." Juvia explained, "And I sorta only did it because Gray was being a jerk."

"What?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow, "I mean, that ain't any new fuckin' news; he's a fuckin' dumbass, but how?"

"Go on, tell us the story." I laughed. I already knew about this story; been recited it to and can recite it the whole way.

"I'll give you the easy version." Juvia went on, "Gray used to be in Track and Field. One time he was in a race, stopped then shouted 'Beat my sexy ass, Lockser!' whilst I was siting idly at the bleachers."

Gray continued for her, "And the women does this thing; she fucking takes off her shoes and runs—in a fucking sundress—all the way to the field and starts running through the track. And we ran and she fucking won"—he momentarily grimaces—"Next thing I know the current captain tells her to take his spot."

"I did and then I realise I have no fucking idea how to run a Track and Field club." Juvia sighed, "So Gray and I quit."

A fit of laughter burst through the air and even Gray laughs at the whole ordeal. Natsu turned to the dark-haired boy; "Why did you quit Ice Ass?"

Gray doesn't really hesitate on his answer. He's gotten the same question for quite a while now many times.

"Because the bitch was my only goal in the club after she fuckin' pulled that shit with the sundress. I was the fastest runner and then she beat me then she quit so I was like 'Well, fuck, guess I gotta quit too'."

"You know, all this talk about running makes me wonder who is fastest now." I prompted suddenly.

Gray and Juvia say simultaneously; "I am."

After a short, silent pause, Natsu leans towards me and whispered;

"What the fuck did you do?"

* * *

Our location is the West Wing's tiny little park. It's a great day to be out in the park. It's not a great day to be holding an impromptu running competition between two individuals who were now glaring at each other intensely.

"I don't think you know what the fuck you're doing." Juvia yelled out Gray.

"I don't think both of you know what the fuck you're doing!" I yelled out to both.

It doesn't stop either of them. "Really? Because I think I'm about to kick your ass once I win!" Gray spat back.

"Stay alive, guys!" Natsu cheered.

"Natsu, stop fuckin' making them want to beat each other even more!" I turned to the pink-haired boy who only shrugged.

"It was bound to happen. And I'd love to see the Ice Princess lose."

"Oh my fucking god." I whispered to myself as I cleared my throat; it turns out I was assigned to be the starter or something for this race.

Gray and Juvia were bending down the grass olympic-style. They were so serious about this.

"I think you're going to lose." Gray told the girl beside him.

"I think you're about to get your ass handed down." Juvia replied .

"Three!" I yelled out from a distance.

"I think you never should have quit as captain." Gray added.

"I think you never should have followed me on quitting." Juvia replied.

"I think you know that I was going to follow you."

"I think you're a dumb fuck for quitting at something you were so good at."

"Two!"

"I think you know that I only stayed because you were captain." Gray breathed out.

"What else do you really think, Fullbuster?"

Gray didn't even blink or take his eyes off the distance in front of him.

"..I think you're really pretty."

Juvia—ready and absolutely energised Juvia—freezes. "WELL, FUC-"

"One!"

Gray speeds off like lightning, laughing as he went whilst Juvia stumbled mid-way through the race whilst screaming.

* * *

Gray and Juvia bickered throughout the entire train ride back to Central whilst Natsu and I laughed on. We'd argue about something ourselves, but I think we were a little worn out from watching eleven movies straight.

We arrived a little late and Gray and Juvia were panicking. The city council were not going to let them live this down apparently.

"We'll see you guys later. Or tomorrow!" Juvia waved as she and Gray sprinted towards Grimore Street.

"Juvia, hurry the fuck up!" Gray shouted.

The blue-haired girl whipped her head around; "Don't tell me what the fuck to do!"

With that, they both continued sprinting back to the radio station to 'apologise their asses off to some dude who's probably rich or something'.

"And off they go." Natsu suddenly seemed to announce a minute later.

"Truly. Those guys are a tornado."

"Whatcha' wanna do now?"

I clicked my fingers, "Art Club displays. They're suppose to be on today and I'm so excited for them."

"Are they on now?"

"..I think so. I'm not sure. They're all the way over St. Martha's. You up for it?"

"Of fuckin' course!"

Even though it's the second day, the crowds and new arrivals are still at it. I was even a little taken aback. I had no clue what strings Gray and Juvia pulled, but it managed a shitton of tourists this time. I gasped the moment we had arrived.

The Art Club's annual displaying was always glamorous in a way and I had heard of what exactly they were planning for this year in great detail. But to see it was a whole different level.

Fucking mosaic glass tiles. Or whatever they were. Surrounding and framing art works that were already masterpieces on their own. All arranged and glued accordingly to a giant brick wall belonging in St. Marcia Street. Again, I had no idea how they did that. Natsu seemed to however as he nodded approvingly the moment we had laid our eyes on the displays.

We stood around breathlessly. Held hands whilst another flock surrounded us, all watching the Art Club's sheer work. I didn't quite move at all. I stared and stared and stared even more. They were all so beautiful and little scary and a little bit wretched and some were a bit more light-hearted, a bit more naive. Like the movies. There was one of a girl frolicking in the beach. There's one of headless figure sitting idly in a formal manner on their knees. Drenched in dark blue and bright pinks and oranges. Every hue a little bit unique from each other as if they were fighting a war of some sort.

And I do this thing; I squeezed Natsu's hand—laughing incoherently—as we waded through the crowd. I knew this building.

"Wai-where the fuck are we going?" Natsu yelled.

"I don't know!" I replied, still laughing.

That was a lie. I knew exactly where the hell I was going and where I was taking Natsu. I took in a bit of comfort in realising that no matter what, the pink-haired boy did not let go of my hand. He wouldn't dare. I grinned at the thought of that. I pushed open the front doors and headed for the stairs, dragging Natsu as I went. He catches up however; running excitedly beside me and grinning. Never letting go of my hand. It was so unfair how he did that; he didn't even know where he was going. I laughed at the thought this time and continued to sprint. Head spinning; I was drenched in my own world of happiness.

It seemed Gray and Juvia have reached the radio station at last because a sudden song comes up out of nowhere. Calming strings of the guitar; upbeat with a male singer with a rather interesting tone. There's a bit of drums now. The beat is added in. I'm howling of laughter. Natsu stares at me like I'm insane. I would stare at me too. Except he's laughing and grinning. That crooked grin. I loved that grin. It made me even more happier as the sound of the choirs were added in. I decided hastily I loved this song.

We finally reached our destination as I yanked open the doors. Blinding lights met my eyes but I didn't even find it in me to really care. I can't even say anything as I stared momentarily at the view. Remember when I said Koharu's skies are so pretty? Well, they're even prettier when you stare with delirious happiness on top of a building. And it's not like the cold view from the Northshore building even when it's higher. No, it's the smell of the air and the wind and that song and that boy beside you grinning wildly whilst the sun hit directly on both your faces.

I stared back down the ground from the left of the area.

"Look, Natsu!" I yelled out. I was still laughing for some inexplainable reason.

The parade. It was already happening. God, I didn't even know it was happening now. When was the last time I had heard about it? I couldn't find the answer. What was the time? I didn't even know. God, I was losing my mind to everything that was happening. I kinda loved it. I stared back down the roads; children were laughing and pointing at the amazing little dances of people walking down the street. I spotted a few clowns. There was a crowd forming all around the city. The parade. The parade. Natsu was finally going to see the parade. My head was shockingly warm from the thought.

I feel another set of recklessness kick in and I took hold of Natsu's hand. He was laughing. God, his laugh. I hastily decide that his laugh was one of best things in life that were free. Or maybe it was just one of the best things in life in general. I didn't know and I couldn't decide.

I do another thing; I danced. I have no clue what I'm doing but I don't think I'm caring either. It's the song. That song was making me do things. I pulled Natsu, stretching out my hands with my feet moving directions I didn't even have time to process. He seems to know exactly what he's doing because he's spinning me and laughing and we're circling each other whilst holding out our hands. It's sorta looks like some kind of gypsy dance. Except we were laughing extensively and every beat of the music was making me lose my head. Swaying hands, misguided feet, echoing laughter; things that were uncoordinated but made sense at the same time.

Natsu does one more thing; he takes my hand firmly this time and drags me back to down the stairs. I don't really argue; I say a quick farewell to the top of building and let him lead this time. We're laughing and the song must've been extended because it's not even finishing any moment. We sprint back down the stairs and Natsu still takes hold of my hand and he's still laughing. I did not want him to stop laughing. He seemed have somehow obeyed that order because he does not.

I listened in to the music as we sprinted. It's about holding on and familiar roads and telling someone not to be alone and being lost and being found and demons of fear. It's about making a place a home. I laughed. _This song was sent by the gods._

We reached back into the street. Legs a little restless, Eyes darting just about everywhere. I paused and restrained Natsu quickly.

"Natsu!" I yelled out, "Hold on!"

"What?"

I laughed and proceeded to reach down my feet. I was taking off my shoes. It was like all this weather and chaos and my own recklessness mixed in was telling me to do so. I throw them to the side and heard Natsu laugh as I did. He continued to lead me to wherever he was taking me in a blink of an eye.

The sun and the crowd and the music and my feet against the warm pavement. Yes, I could lost here. If Natsu was leading, I would happily get lost here. I would happily get lost anywhere if he was there. I decide that hastily as well. We were sprinting so fast; with or without direction was anyone's guess, including mine. My stomach was hurting from laughing and hearing Natsu's laugh ahead of me and seeing his hand stretched out in front of me to grab my own was dangerous. It was so dangerous. A bit of fear and sprinkle of danger and if you added in my overflowing recklessness, then it was nothing at all. After all, the Koharu sun was beaming down on us, on the pavement, on the crowd and approving of all this happiness.

We sprint through the crowd and which each passing person, they stare. At the two grown idiots sprinting almost mindlessly through a huge crowd and into the parade. But God forbid I care.

Natsu reached his supposed destination and I stared. And laughed even harder. We were watching the parade but at the same time we weren't. Because Natsu and I were sprinted right towards a parade float. People stare. A whole crowd stared. I ignore it all; all I needed was the pink-haired boy and the song. I don't even stop to tell Natsu that we weren't allowed to just stroll from the crowds right to a float. In the corner of my eye, I spot a few guards that seemed like they were planning to do just that. But a certain short-haired figure stopped them. I laughed and made a mental note to thank the mayor later.

And so we were climbing on top of the Folk Committee's parade float. They look a little shocked at first but it seemed that Natsu at least knew them because they laugh and smile and helped us up just a moment after. I wonder what the rest of the crowd thought of that blonde girl and pink-haired boy with a ponytail. But when you were lost in the clouds and the beat of music, it didn't seem to matter at all. I'm still laughing and Natsu is still grinning and the whole world is still thoughtlessly careless. I liked it that way.

Because my legs were moving and my arms were swaying. It takes a moment to register that I was dancing on a parade float to extremely catchy music. It doesn't matter how it even happened, it matters that I'm still laughing and crowds are watching every movement. The Folk Committee doesn't even care and they play their instruments to the song on the radio. And my feet were warm against the surface of the float and my hair was careless against the wind. It's flying in different directions and I don't even remember if I had tied it up previously.

What exactly made certain places home? What made a person who's seen the world take a dead stop at a city that didn't at all compare to certain wonders of world? How could you make that place that person's home?

Maybe dancing on a parade float was an answer. Or maybe dancing on top of a building. Or maybe just getting lost. I certainly wasn't picky about the options. Natsu certainly wasn't either. Or maybe we were just unexpectedly reckless that way.

So we kept dancing. It seemed that the crowd had caught up because they're clapping to the beat of the music and there's still confused eyes on us but there's also knowing ones as well and to the corner of my eyes, there's a few little kids who take on a dance on their own. My laugh is bundled through the music and the sound of claps to the beat and even a few voices from the crowd that sang along.

I wondered if I should yell something to the pink-haired boy. But I realise there's nothing to say. I realise it's Natsu and I; things that needed to be said probably already had been said. So I get lost in the state of happiness again. I wonder if these things could ever have the expression and the words to describe them. Maybe they existed because of that fact.

And then the music slows down. The sound of the guitars are stopped and it's just sound of the crowd clapping to the beat and the keyboard and their voices. And then it's just Natsu and I circling around each other, him twirling me around and laughing. I wonder if there was death by happiness. I pray internally that there is no such thing. I then laugh because I realised that if there were such a thing, I would've drop dead already.

And then the song ends. There's a loud cheer and it takes me a moment to figure out that it's the crowd around us. The Folk Committee are clapping. It's loud and it's wild and it's calming at the same time.

There's Natsu. Standing right before me; grinning his head off. Hands still on mine. He was breathing heavily. I take another moment to realise that I was as well. We _had_ done an impressive running lap that Juvia and Gray would cheer on to. We were also on a parade float. I thought I had registered that fact in but it turns out that needed double-checking. I laughed and he laughed. We haven't stopped laughing at all. The rest is a blur of delight.

I change my mind; Natsu Dragneel's laugh was, in fact, one of the best things in life in general.

* * *

 **Second day of the Spring Festival. If anyone wants to read the chapter with the song, it's 'Home' by Philip Phillips. I actually took a tiny bit of inspiration from the song as I put it on repeat when writing the chapter.**

 **But let's give you a little excitement, shall we?**

 **Alpha Arc: Incipient to Petrichor**

 **Pandemonium Arc: Amethyst to Pandemonium**

 **Spring Festival Arc: Carmine to (Chapter 35)**

 **Reviewers are literally the best things on Earth and I love you all and I wake up to your lovely comments and it makes getting up to do work worth it.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Blaze; (noun) a large, fierce fire._


	35. Azure

Three is supposed to be a lucky number.

That's not exactly what I was thinking thoroughly of when I stood beside Natsu between St. Lucia and Vinfalk Street, but I would find myself thinking about it somewhere during the course of the day. Natsu doesn't eat in the morning this time because he's had too much to eat in the morning the previous days. It was impressive but unhealthy at the same time and that really only motivated the pink-haired boy to get better to eat more. Doctors, I told him, would seriously not approve.

The sun was out yet again, but this time, it seemed to have gone a little shy; hiding beneath a few clouds. Things like that always made me think if the sun was trying to be a little playful. Playing hide-and-seek with us mortals. But in general, it was a good day to be out again. Yukino would go on to praise the great weather of the Spring Festival.

We were on our way to buy food, however. Much to his delight. Today would not be a day organised by the Spring Festival, it seemed. Today would be a day organised by simple thoughts and laughter and a picnic blanket. We were doing a picnic. Which seemed ironic because everyone in the council were essentially running everything and to just suddenly do a picnic and conveniently ignore the one event we had worked our asses for the whole month seemed strange. Natsu had pointed this out and I only shrugged; things were actually just enjoyable whenever I was with friends, Spring Festival or no Spring Festival.

Which sent another deep thought through my head; Erza Scarlet. I still pondered about what exactly had been going on with her. Sure, she was doing council work. But it was additional council work; things that were unnecessary and things that others could just do easily. I sighed as I gave up on what to think about the subject; but the heartache of knowing about one of my best friends' bad state of mind remained.

"You okay?" he suddenly asked.

I turned to the pink-haired boy. He was wearing a short black trench coat. "Yeah. Why'd you ask?"

He laughed, "Because I called your name out four times just then."

I blinked. "I..was just thinking."

"About life? Philosophically?"

"Sure."

We began to walk towards a tiny grocery store. "And you're not even going to talk about it? Is it too deep for me now?"

I laughed and cocked an eyebrow, "What's with the sudden interest?"

He shrugged, "Not sure, honestly."

"Then, I was thinking about my period.

"Do Happy and I need to move back in our apartment now?"

I chucked then sighed, slumping my shoulders a bit. "You idiot, no. And I wasn't thinking about my period."

"Yeah, I kinda had a feeling considering periods aren't all that philosophical."

"They can if you want them to be. Its, like, the cycle of life. Life and death. Good and bad. Heaven and hell all through the state of my uterus."

"That is totally what I need to hear early on in the morning."

"Appreciate female sexual organs."

"Hashtag Uterus Matters 2k16."

"Yes, that's what I'm talking about."

"I don't think we need to get in detail with your uterus."

"I think you need to shut up because my uterus is perfectly perfect."

"I don't need to know so much about a uterus."

I pulled my hand to my ear, "Do you hear that? That's the sound of my uterus feeling offended."

"What else does your uterus feel?"

"Sad. Sometimes a bit solemn. Not really suicidal. But sentimental. It misses its cousin, ovaries."

"Wow."

"There's more to uteruses and ovaries than you think."

"I didn't think they had a degree in philosophy."

"No, they have a masters in psychology though."

"I see I'm well-educated."

"You are."

"I don't think there's a degree in the fundamental understanding of a uterus though."

"We're working on it."

* * *

Natsu bought a shitton of food in the grocery stores and wows even the casher lady. We split the bill and I try my hardest not to look at anyone staring at the boy with more than eight bags of food wrapped around his arm in the eye. It's sorta a disgrace and an achievement at the same time.

Our preferred location is the North Wing's park. This was discussed in a hasty Facebook group chat the previous day and brought up by a very energised and angry—for some reason, probably to do with Gray, we weren't too informed about it—Juvia. She had thought that with the flocks and practically everyone busy at Central and the main regions of all the Wings having fun with all the work we've created over the past month, we ought to get away from it all. It was supported via inspirational group chat speech wherein Gray sent a few videos of cats with no explanation at all. Natsu did not complain about that.

Yukino and the boys were an excited bundle apparently for this little ordeal. We had seen each other. But that was the whole inspirational speech episode and even then, after that they had went off again to deal with some crap up at West. It wasn't unexpected, but you get around to missing the blonde-haired boy always eating food every once in a while. And Yukino and Rogue always scolding him was something you felt obliged to have back in your life once the lack of it occurs.

Lisanna had gone on some kind of hiatus towards seeing everyone in general. The Cooking Club's collaboration with the cafe had been probably one of the biggest things the cafe had to be in so far, so naturally she was put to a bit of tough work. I had missed her voice and smile and hair even if she and I conversed a little on the first day of the festival. But I think everyone had that feeling with Lisanna. She was just like that; to always be missed whenever she was gone. It was nothing unexpected for someone who had been my best friend even around middle school.

Gajeel and Levy had agreed as expected of them. Gajeel had only agreed with the condition that he is not the one to buy food this time and Levy requested that Pantherlily—their tough, little black cat—make an appearance. This prompted Natsu to request that Happy be making an appearance as well to apparently partake in some kind of fight with Lily. Happy's little cat eyes looked directly at Natsu like he was a moron in the couch. Which he was. But in the end, two cats were given the green light.

Speaking of green lights; it was a winning and victorious battle against the city council for Gray and Juvia—they had gone through another McDonalds drive-thru escapade, all documented on Snapchat. The only thing really relevant to say is that Florida's 'Low' was involved alongside the same drive-thru lady telling them to drive the fuck away already. Gray and Juvia had pre-recorded all their announcements and little mini rants for the sake of the picnic. I don't know how they pulled it off but apparently at some point Juvia had told one of the members she thought she was dying through some kind of disease, so that sorta put the odds at their favour.

As for Erza, Kagura and Minerva, it's an expected and unexpected little split. Kagura and Minerva are all for it but apparently the redhead was a little unsure. She had been doing a bit of more work. I stared at the screen last night a little breathless, looking over at her reply a million times and probably a million more. But she still had the chance of attending; which was either heartbreaking or hopeful.

I couldn't decide.

* * *

Natsu and I go through the train back to the North. He had slept again on my shoulder—now a dangerous habit of his and now sorta of a hobby for me—because it was early on in the morning. Things I had noted included the fact that Natsu seemed to be deprived of his favourite strawberry liquorice for the past few weeks; because he does not have that familiar scent in him anymore and it put a frown to my lips. Another thing was that everything seemed eerily slow. Things had been fast-paced and exciting and exhilarating the past two days and now it had all gone out the window. Things were toned back down now and Koharu seemed like it was Koharu again; sure, it was busy regardless of a Spring Festival but at the same time, it had a type of calming air to it that I had gotten used to and that I had missed.

We walked back to the apartment to retrieve a tired and awoken Happy. Probably trying to sleep off his fight with Lily. Natsu wasn't the most supportive cat owner when he had took the little cat in his arms to deal with the brawl anyway. Happy was not ecstatic.

With Happy, the food and an worn picnic blanket, we headed to the North Wing's Central Park. It's still early in the morning and it's a rather strange time to be doing a picnic with the sun still on its way to waking up but it sorta works and Natsu repeats that there is no way in hell is he going to do a refund for the food anyway.

"I feel like it's way too early for this." I muttered to the pink-haired boy.

We were laying out the blanket over the grass.

"As long as there's food, I'm game." Natsu muttered back. Happy was frolicking in the fields, I think he was trying to eat the grass. _Poor cat._

"You know, the whole picnic thing is sorta childhood-esque."

"Hmm..I get that a lot. But you can't say anything bad because we're already doing it."

"I wasn't trying to make it seem bad!" I chuckled, "I just feel like it's..nostalgia."

Nostalgia. It seemed like a word I was chained heavily from and as it escaped my mouth, it felt strange and vulnerable. Natsu glanced at me for a moment before going back to smoothing out the blanket.

"I get that a lot too, I guess. Or something." he flopped straight into the checkered blanket. It was like the part where he smoothed it out was kinda useless.

I follow his action and we stare at the clouds. Mornings in Koharu were suppose to be like this. Calm and a little silent and nothing extravagant. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the previous day's events; it was like the whole parade fiasco didn't even happen if you look at what I was doing now.

"I can dig this." he suddenly muttered.

I only continued to stare at the sky, "Hmm, and what's that?"

"Mornings here." Happy was now laying between us. I think he was meowing for food again.

"Ahh." I felt my head go a little lighter, "You get me. It's calm, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Is it some kind of morning spell?"

"Might be. I've known this place long enough to know what it feels like."

A silence commenced and I listened in to faint sounds. There must be some kind of thing happening around the area because I hear the most faintest sound of a few people talking. I've got fairly impressive ears; they must be a street or two away. There's small rustles of trees and there's the occasional chirp of birds that seem awfully planned. There's that morning air; a slight fog and a brisk yet warm feeling to the skin. It feels like the weather is undecided and it reminds me of children and waking up in the morning when you're young. It awfully drenched in some kind of unfathomable nostalgia that feels like it's also undecided on whether or not it should be touched upon.

But there's nothing like the feeling of someone's presence beside you. On a picnic blanket. Happy's soft fur lightly grazed my skin and there was a warm feeling to that. And there's also Natsu breath. The soft and fragile sound of the air he was taking in and out. It's a bit comforting and easing and that reminded you that someone was there. And all they needed to do was be there. That was all there was to it.

I heard the sound of footsteps a quiet minute afterwards.

"Yuki, are you sure they didn't say it was the West Wing or something?"

"I know exactly what I heard."

"Please just listen to her before you guys end up in the police station or something."

Those voices. I felt my body instantly shot up. It was like I hadn't heard them for years; they now sounded like a melody. Sweet and wanted and _God I miss them._

"If they're not here, I'm goin-"

"We're here, you dumbass!" Natsu yelled out suddenly. He hadn't even gotten up to know who it was.

"Oh look, Sting. Evidence that you should never underestimate me." Yukino called out.

"Okay, okay. Jeez." a laugh echoed and it was like something I couldn't even imagine. Sting was laughing, Yukino was scolding him and Rogue was telling both to shut up. I missed them all so much it felt my heart was going to explode.

I leapt up to my feet, awaking and disturbing Happy, and realised that I didn't even have my shoes on. I didn't even remember when I had kicked them off but it doesn't matter because I'm running down the hill to meet three people I had not seen properly for almost the entire month. It's been just going in and out to do work and work and even more work and the occasional part where you collapse or where you get hit on the head by a wooden plank, but now it was nothing. All of it had been evaporated clearly and I could embrace friends without having to think of goodbyes.

I think Happy was running beside me as my eyes met three figures, all wearing different assortments of coats. Yuki's short hair was tied up in a lazy ponytail and Sting's hair definitely wasn't stylised as it had always been a month ago and Rogue looked like he just wanted to sleep.

My smile grew unconsciously wider as I sprinted down, arms open wide to embrace the white-haired girl first-hand. "Yuki!"

The girl caught sight of me first and Sting's laugh boomed and Rogue was already greeting me. Yukino's hands automatically opened up to receive the hug.

"Woah!"

Before I could even blink, I was trapped inside her arms. "Lucy! You scared me!"

"Head honcho is such a softie." Sting chuckled.

"Hey Sting." I muttered happily as I turned to the blonde-haired boy from Yukino's back.

"Hello Rogue." I whipped my head to smile at the dark-haired boy.

"Hello Lucy." they said in unison.

I grinned. "Long time, no quality see."

I proceed to hug the living daylights out of all three of them.

* * *

Sting and Natsu took home the first argument of the day regarding how much food they bought. Rogue signed of pure relief the moment he caught the sight of the picnic blanket, looked up the sky to thank God briefly then fell face-first into it and proceeded to take a nap. Yukino squealed the moment her eyes met Happy and she proceeded to spoil him with cuddles. All four of us—excluding a temporarily dead Rogue—were now sitting cross-legged in the blanket, sharing a bag of chips.

"So, how's life, guys?" I prompted.

Yukino sighed, "Very good. We're finally free of this mess."

Sting laid back down the blanket to stare upwards, "It's going okay. We haven't been to the cafe, have we, Yuki?"

"Nah." the white-haired girl shrugged, "And you two?"

She turned to Natsu and I. We were conveniently stuffing ourselves with chips.

Natsu talked through a half-full mouth, "It's been good."

I nodded until Yukino suddenly gasped. "Wait, so we heard about the parade thing!"

Natsu cocked an eyebrow, "What parade thing?"

I turned to the pink-haired boy, "You know, the part where we just casually climbed a fucking parade float yesterday?"

"Oh yeah!"

Sting laughed, "You should have seen Yuki's face when she heard the news yesterday. A fucking pink-haired bastard and some pretty chick just getting up to climb the Folk Committee's parade float!"

Happy meowed loudly from Yukino's lap.

"Oi!" Natsu called out, "It made the fucking parade!"

"Sure did, actually." Yukino agreed.

I widened my eyes, "Wait, what?"

Yukino nodded, "It was just the normal parade until two people just randomly started dancing on top of a parade float so the people must've loved it."

I sighed, "There are things I will regret in the future."

"Sure are." Sting chuckled, "And how was your side of town this month?"

I sighed, "Well, apart from the usual collapsing dramatically in a meeting that looked more like WW3, it's been alright."

"That's good to hear." Yukino smiled.

"Where did you guys go off to this time?"

Sting and even a half-awake Rogue groaned.

Yukino sighed whilst she glided her hand through Happy's fur. The spoilt cat meowed.

"We've been going everywhere." she began, "The South, East, West, Central and up here in North all day without even a stop and Sting can't get up in the morning to save his life and Rogue has to be dragged out of the train each day and I can't catch a break and sometimes we forget that we had breakfast so we eat cereal at midnight doing datawork."

Natsu and I laughed. "You've got the endurance, at least."

"Great job on staying alive." Natsu offered a thumps-up.

"Barely." Sting muttered. He was closing his eyes. I wondered when had he even last slept.

I opened my mouth to say something but the words don't come out because I hear another batch of footsteps. Glancing up, pass the sky and the buildings and the slight morning fog, Gajeel and Levy strolled their way to our direction. The blue-haired girl had a wool blanket draped over her shoulders, carrying one or two books and a half-grinning Gajeel followed.

"You guys look cozy." I yelled out as they neared their destination.

"Happy Third Day." Yukino offered.

"Yo Metalhead." Natsu greeted.

"Flame Ass." Gajeel nodded then turned to Sting, "Lightbulb Boy."

Levy chuckled. "Hey guys. I would hug you all right now but I'm too tired."

"You look majestic in your blanket, Levy." Lisanna pointed out.

Gajeel eventually sat cross-legged on the picnic blanket and began to already ask where the food was as Levy leaned on him, yawning as she did.

"It's been a tiring month, hasn't it?" she muttered silently, half-grinning.

"Yeah." I let my words fade. I don't know what else to say; it has been a tiring month and there's probably going to be even more tiring months afterwards. There wasn't a lot we could do about that.

"What happened to Rogue?" Levy lazily pointed a finger to the dark-haired boy who was face-planting the blanket.

"Oh, he's having a temporary coma." Yukino explained.

"Poor boy." Levy sighed, "I hope he enjoys his coma."—she spotted the cat curled up in Yukino's lap—"Hello, Happy."

The cat meowed back without even moving. I swear Happy could talk.

Natsu suddenly looked up, "Wait, that reminds me, where's that cat of yours, Gajeel?"

Gajeel whipped his head around and pointed to the empty grass, "He's right there."

Natsu cocked an eyebrow, "Ghost cats don't count, asshole."

Gajeel growled, "He's right there! Lily!"

And sure enough, a second after Gajeel's call, Pantherlily leapt up through the grassy field with his tiny black paws and into the picnic blanket. His single white spot located in one cat eye exactly how I had remembered it to be. I smiled as the rather stoic-natured cat curled up in Levy's lap.

"Oh what the fuck!" Natsu exclaimed, "Happy, fight him!"

Happy doesn't move. Neither does Lily.

"Happy, get up!"

Happy still doesn't move. He lazily meowed instead.

"Well, fuck." Natsu sighed.

"I don't know how you guys were exactly planning to get Happy and Lily to actually fight." I yawned.

"I thought they would do it on natural instinct." Natsu argued, "Like the lions."

"Well, they're not exactly trying to kill each other." Levy chuckled as she flipped through a page of her book. She really did look peaceful in that blanket of hers. Gajeel really was an ultimate boyfriend.

"When are the two idiots getting here?" Gajeel asked suddenly.

"Which ones?" Sting laughed.

"Business duo."

"They should be here soon." I answered, "I think Juvia texted me earlier that they are going to KFC."

Levy chuckled tiredly. "Of course they are."

* * *

Gray and Juvia did not show up with blanket drapes in a peaceful manner. They showed up already arguing through something—no one is sure what, I think it's about Juvia's shoes or something—with three boxes of KFC hot chicken wings. Oh and Diet Coke.

"Those two are lively as ever." Gajeel commented as the two figures sat down the blanket to continue arguing.

"I envy their spirit and unlimited energy to fight and buy food." Yukino sighed. Sting and Natsu were chomping down on a chicken wings. It was too early for chicken wings and yet we had three boxes of KFC.

Gray and Juvia eventually silence down when Yukino offers them the very chicken wings that they bought.

"So, how was your day?" I eventually ask either of the two.

"Nice." Gray replied.

"Shit." Juvia offered.

"I see you guys are getting along."

"Aren't we?" Juvia sighed and continued to chew on her chicken wing. I'm pretty sure she was taking her anger out on the chicken wing. I felt bad for the chicken wing.

"If you're going to say some shit about your missing heels, I will say one more time, I di-" Gray was interrupted.

"You know it got lost in your apartment!"

"Fucking let me finish my sentence!" Gray yelled.

Their argument blurred into the background. I think I've mastered the art of blurring Gray and Juvia's arguments. It's kinda of an achievement that really shouldn't be an achievement.

"Hi!" a voice called out.

Everyone whipped their head around to catch the sight of Lisanna Struass. With three plastic containers in her hand. It's cake. Sting gets up at the speed of lightning.

"Lisanna!" I called out. And suddenly I realised it was actually her. It wasn't just her when she was out doing events for the Cooking Club. No, it was Lisanna who was here to hang out with everyone and give Sting cakes and smile the Strauss smile.

"Lucy!" she yelled out as she eventually reached us.

"Oh finally, some real food!" Sting exclaimed with his arms wide open in happiness.

"It's not even 9am, Sting." Yukino scolded.

"We were eating chips just then, I have no fuckin' clue why we are objecting to cake now."

Lisanna sat down and sighed, "So, it's finally over, huh?"

"Not technically." I pointed out.

"But it's about to." Juvia added.

"That's good." Lisanna laughed and stretched out her arms, "I need someone to tell me that to double-check so I can finally be free of all this work."

"How's Mira?" Yukino asked.

"At the cafe." Lisanna smiled, "Everyone already knows that place is her sacred area or something. Sis really is dedicated. She sends her love to everyone here via cake."

"I'll take that offer." Sting raised an arm out as if to volunteer as Lisanna began to open the plastic containers. It felt like it had been ages since I've eaten Mira's baking.

Lisanna laughed and shared around all the brownies for everyone including an coma-mode Rogue—his brownie is placed beside him and everyone had threatened to do something to Sting if he dared take it—but she saves three brownies whilst I wonder if the day will end with one uneaten.

* * *

Kagura and Minerva show up just a few minutes after Lisanna does and I felt my stomach churn.

"Hey." Kagura greeted whilst Minerva smiled and waved.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with them. No, not at all. It was just that there was something to their expressions that made me want to scream from seeing them hurt. It was hurt. Kagura has a rather stoic aura to her but she's friendly—very deeply so. And when she greets, she greets with a type of happiness that she tries to muster to ease a person. That didn't show.

And Minerva—I knew well—was a bit more wilder. And happier. And livelier. She was mischievous and sly and in that way, she was playful. That didn't show either. It's through their eyes and the way they looked down and they way they seemed like everything was forcing them down the ground. I wanted to get rid of whatever that force was but at the same time, I couldn't do anything about it. And that made me want to scream silently through my head.

I smiled and forced as much happiness as I could, "Hey guys!"

"Good to see you guys here." Yukino offered them their brownies. Gajeel nods whilst Sting and Natsu waved with one hand—their other hands were still on the chicken wings. Levy paused from her book to smile brightly.

Minerva and Kagura must've not expected this because their eyes turn little more awake and they find their responses somehow.

"T-thank you." Kagura stuttered as they eventually sat down rather warily.

Minerva simply smiled as she took her brownie and I frowned. What the hell was actually going on? It hurt everywhere to see them like that. Their eyes dark and unrested and dreary. All whilst they were forcing themselves on happiness. It hurt badly to even watch.

They stay quiet afterwards in the midst of everyone's eventual chatter and I'm not sure if they had meant to or they had done so unconsciously but I try to block out their hurt and the look through their eyes that they might've thought was hidden but was clear to see.

I don't know why but I'm sure I failed.

* * *

There's nothing too abnormal that occurred as we all sat in the picnic blanket, waiting for the sun to fully take a spotlight. It's a bit strange but it's welcome. It had already been half an hour or so since Kagura and Minerva had arrived. I think everyone is a bit exhausted and it's not that no one is willing to admit it, it's just that it's the third day of the festival and it's the end and we're all certainly relieved. There's nothing to really do anymore but rest peacefully. I think everyone preferred it that way. There were times for chaos—the type that we had ruled over for a while—but it wasn't the time now. Everyone lays down the large picnic blanket and stays quiet. It's a good type of quiet. It's not restrictive and it's got nothing to do with anyone.

"You know," Yukino began suddenly, "I'm really impressed by the fact that it's stayed sunny the whole three days."

"A gift from God." Sting pointed out.

"Now that I think about it, you're right." Lisanna nodded.

"It must've been just good luck." Kagura offered.

"It's never been this good before!" Yukino spread her arms out wide as she flopped the rest of her body down.

Natsu and Sting are fast asleep, I think. They had sorta passed out after they had finished the first box of chicken wings. Gajeel merely looked like he wanted to sleep but Levy had leaned on him and as her boyfriend, he apparently would not fail at his jobs and requirements.

"Lucy.." Natsu croaked out, "..Buy me a bottle of water."

I cocked an eyebrow at the pink-haired boy, "Go get your own, Natsu. It's just across the street."

"Don't make her to do it, you lazy ass." Gray complained.

"Shut up Ice Brain." Natsu retorted then turned back to me, "Please. I'm going to die of dehydration and it's going to be your fault and I'm not drinking the Diet Coke."

Juvia took notice of this, "Hey! I bought that!"

"But who drinks Diet Coke?" Natsu asked.

"It was on sale."

Natsu seemed to think that proved his point somehow and he once again turned his attention back to me with pleading eyes.

I sighed. I hadn't done anything physically productive so far anyway. "..Fine."

He does a lazy half-cheer and I rolled my eyes, putting my legs to good use and leaping up to the nearest store that had a bottle of water to maybe hit Natsu in the head with.

Lisanna chuckled and sent her condolences as I strolled back down the hill.

There was nothing to really pay attention to so I opted to just take in the entire view. The North Wing was probably the least involved in the Spring Festival, mainly due to the fact that we had less shops and specialty areas. There was the park, of course, but then again the park could just be mistaken for an extremely large area of land with the only thing really notable being the fact that the grass were nicely mowed, which was sorta good. The only thing I had really ever seen they did to the place was mow the lawn; it was pretty ironic and appreciated at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, I continued my conquest, letting my bare feet slightly dig through the dirt carelessly. There was no one around to really judge and I was sure I had set a new barefoot trend from the parade incident anyway.

But things slowed down and my breath hitched as I spotted the familiar figure. My eyes widened and my stomach twisted in angles I hardly could even imagine it could twist to.

There she was. Erza Scarlet.

I felt my mouth go dry as I stared at the redhead. Her eyes were dark and I realise briefly that she definitely hadn't attained any sufficient sleep for the last couple of days. She stood rather blankly around the pavement; hair untied and not quite in a mess but not so tamed either. Her shoulders were firm and her posture was straight. But there was something so hollow in what she was in the flesh. She looked a bit lost and tired and terrifyingly exhausted. She also looked a bit like she was going to fai-

"Erza!" I sprinted to the girl before I could process the action.

She was falling to her knees, eyes glued to the ground, hands staggering as I barely reached her before she could collapse first-hand on the ground. Was this me just a week or so ago? I didn't think I looked or even felt that deprived or hollow or wretched.

I pulled the girl into a tight embrace. "Erza, calm down, are you okay?"

I heard her mismatched breaths and felt like if she was going to collapse into pieces, then I was too.

But Erza was stronger than that. "..I'm okay. Thank you."

I felt her hand clutch the back of my shoulder almost desperately. My knees felt a little weak Erza had clung to be as desperately as I wanted to take away whatever feeling that was devouring her.

But it was simply not my place. "..Okay."

I know Erza is taking in everything that I'm trying to give her. I know because she's already one of my best friends. But even everything that I had was not enough.

"We're walking back to the picnic, can you handle that?" I asked softly.

"..Okay."

So we did.

* * *

Eyes go wide at the sight of the redhead and I chuckled tiredly at the gaped mouths.

"Erza!" Lisanna was the first to say a word but Kagura and Minerva were the first to even move. They even looked like they were partaking in a race.

Eyes shot wide open from the mere mention of the name. I let go for Erza to fall into Minerva's arms. And Erza is strong. I know she is; have seen the examples and know what's she's capable of. But sometimes even strong towers have the slightest cracks and mistakes. It's nothing bad because Minerva and Kagura are there because of that.

Minerva takes in the redhead and tangles her up in her arms. They're silent. I don't think there's much to say between all three of them. Maybe the whole 'actions speak louder than words' really was prominent. It reminds me of Natsu and I and how we don't tend to say things that seem like it's already been said; well, that's how I felt about it anyway.

They stay like that until Erza is eventually embraced by Kagura. Everyone sorta giggles in the background and it's either adding or ruining the emotional moment.

Kagura's hug is a little different. It's not like Minerva's. It's a little longer and a little heavier and it's sending out unfamiliar air. It reminds me of Natsu and I's usual hugs but even different from that. It's not just a hug, it looks and even feels more of something like an apology.

 _An apology. An apology for what?_

Erza seemed to take in whatever Kagura sent her because she smiled afterwards. And the area turned silent. Erza's smile. It was like I hadn't seen it in years. She looked so drained and slumped and absolutely hollow in a way but she was still smiling. Rather genuinely as well.

"Hey guys."

There are no more brownies left after that.

* * *

Erza stayed her old self for the most part. Everyone goes along with it because it felt like that was what she wanted. Kagura, Minerva and her stay like what they were back then and it's nothing to be wary of but no one asks what had happened to the redhead the entirety of the month. It's not that everyone was scared of what she would say or even do, but it was more onto the part where it seemed like something that didn't really need to be touched upon. It's familiar and everyone knows about it in a telepathic way.

"Have you guys got any plans after all of this?" Levy cheerfully prompted.

"What do you think, Luce?" Natsu turned to me.

I thought for a second before sighing, "I don't know. I think I'm opting to just rest for days until I can recharge my energy."

"Same thing here." Lisanna nodded and turned Yukino, "What about Yuki and the boys?"

Yukino turned to Sting, "Sting?"

Sting continued to face the clouds. He had mentioned one that looked like a tree earlier. "Hmm…don't we have the regional camp up at Mortlake in a few weeks?"

There's a brief silence and Yukino opts for a mini scream, "Oh God!" she slaps a hand on her forehead, "I completely forgot about that!"

"Wait, what?" Juvia cocked an eyebrow alongside everyone's equally confused expressions.

Sting laughed, "The Mortlake Regional Camp. Class 6B is going in a few weeks and we leave for an entire four weeks."

"Wait, how come I've never heard about this shit again?" Natsu threw his hands up the air.

"The school has got way too much fuckin' money on their hands." Gray muttered.

"You guys are leaving for four weeks?" Lisanna asked in disbelief.

This seemed to have awoken a dazy Rogue, "..We're leaving in what weeks?"

"Four. The Regional Camp, bro." Sting answered.

Rogue slams his head back down the picnic blanket, "Goddamnit."

"Just when we thought we had time to finally calm down." Yukino groaned.

"I still can't believe you're going for four weeks and we've never even heard about it." Kagura breathed out.

Sting shrugged, "I didn't even remember until now."

There's another tiny little silence that occurred until Juvia asked;

"Hey, where are the KFC boxes?"

Sting and Natsu almost choked their lungs out.

* * *

The day dragged on a little slowly, mostly because I took a few naps in between everyone's tired chatter. Gray and Juvia argue, but they don't sound like they want to kill each other. Yukino and Sting argue, but it's mere child's bicker and everyone knows because Rogue hadn't awoken to tell them to shut up. Natsu and Gray try to pick a few fights with Gajeel but Gajeel doesn't give them a glare—he leaned to Levy and slept like a baby eventually. I tell Natsu he's asking for his death when he takes pictures of the couple and sends it on Snapchat. Erza, Minerva and Kagura stay a little bit more silent than usual, but they still laugh to jokes and make a few comebacks every once in a while and it puts a curve to my lips.

All food had been consumed so no refunds were to be made, much to the pink-haired boy's satisfaction and eventually the evening occurred in almost a blink of an eye. I hadn't really even processed the fact until Minerva had pointed it out.

"It's 5pm." she had muttered to no one in particular.

I shot open my eyes, "Wait, what?"

I faced the sky and sure enough, it was already starting to turn to warm oranges and reds. Time had passed by quick.

"We should call it a day, huh?" Gray yawned.

Natsu had awoken from his nap by then, "Wha's goin' on?"

"It's late." I answered.

And suddenly, it seemed everyone had been scheduled to wake up at the exact moment, because a series of groans and yawns occurred and Levy's had fallen unconsciously on Gajeel's stomach. Yukino's head was randomly on Sting's leg and Sting had a KFC box placed upwards on his head. I think it was apparently because he wanted to dream of fried chicken. Kagura and Erza are leaned back-to-back with Minerva sorta in in-between. Everyone suddenly wakes up. I think it's a mutual waking-up disease that we had shared.

"Where the fuck am I? Am I dead?" Sting muttered from the back.

"Why do you always think you're dead when you wake up?" Yukino grumbled.

"Someone get me a glass of vodka." Gajeel mumbled.

Juvia had fully awoke at the mere mention, "What vodka? Where is it? Give it to me."

"There's no vodka." I tell her.

"Well, fuck." she fell back down the blanket.

"Anybody got any food?" Natsu innocently asked.

"Guys, we need to go before people think we're hobos at the park and not the student council who are running the entire city." I instructed.

I think Natsu might've been drunk from all the chicken wings because he yells or slurs something about discrimination against hobos and rolls back down the blanket.

Levy is the only one capable of actually understanding syllables. "People, get up."

"You know what? I think I want to be a bird." Sting suddenly muttered to himself. I think he's drunk. I think everyone is a bit drunk. I have no idea how they're drunk. KFC might find itself getting lawsuits soon.

Yukino eventually gets up, "Sting"—she lightly kicked his stomach—"Get up and carry Rogue."

"Why the fuck am I always the one to do the work?!"

"Because Rogue is in a coma."

"No, he's not! He can just wake up an-"

"Just do it."

They have an argument all whilst Sting unconsciously gets up and piggy-backs Rogue anyway. I think he's used to it to the point where he actually does it whilst telling Yukino that he's not doing it. I felt a bit bad for him.

Minerva pokes both Kagura and Erza in the arm and I think they have telepathic powers built through sheer friendship because both girls instantly wake up and know that they have to get up. I watch as they pick up their bags and rubbish. I admired their telepathic friendship.

Gray and Juvia are too tired to do anything. They had wasted their energy on argument and now they had gotten up and got their stuff packed in silence. Natsu had gotten up and asked me why Juvia wasn't yelling yet. I didn't have an answer that didn't make me look even more confused as him.

"You know.." Sting suddenly muttered, "I feel like we're all forgetting something.."

Yukino stared at the blonde-haired boy, "Why does your brain only ever work in the most inconvenient of times?"

"No, I swear we are forgetting something important." he muttered.

"It better not be something stupid this time.." Gajeel grumbled as he helped up Levy with the books.

"It's actually important this time."

"Oh no, this shit is going to be bad." Juvia groaned.

"What is it?" I finally asked the blonde-haired boy who now had everyone's eyes on him.

"The festival..the thing…the thing thing…"

"What?" Juvia cocked an eyebrow.

"It's something..like..just something..to do with fire.."

"Fire?" Natsu repeated.

"..the fireworks." the boy started silently at first then widened his eyes, "The fireworks!"

The air stands to a still and everyone doesn't move for at least four seconds before Gray starts off screaming into the distance as everyone runs or rolls or piggy-backs down the hill for the train station. Natsu and I laughed, Yukino screamed at Sting not to drop Rogue, Juvia screams at Gray for no apparent reason and everyone else tried desperately not to think about what the city council will do to us now.

* * *

Everyone had arrived in the train station barely in time to catch the train back to Central. It was such a _convenience_ to have everyone at the North Wing stare as we all sprinted with Sting being the last as he was carrying Rogue around the area. Granted, Juvia was screaming her lungs off, Gray was telling Juvia not to scream her lungs off, Gajeel was laughing at Yukino screaming at Sting and Natsu and I did not stop cackling almost evilly throughout the entire ordeal until we reached the station looking like we had walked out of a thrilling episode of 'I shouldn't be alive'.

After a gritting and almost unbearable ride to Central, we stepped out of the trains rather amazed for ironic reasons. For one thing, the area was almost covered entirely in lanterns. Bright and dazzling lanterns of all sizes. Hung up from ropes between street lamps or just placed anywhere. The area was buzzing with new people and I had only then realised that the sky had finally gone dark. Time was going by so quick, I finally processed through my head. For another thing; everything looked amazing. It was like being transported to another world. And that was always a welcome thing for me.

"Wow." Levy breathed out.

"This place looks fuckin' good." Natsu grinned.

"How come we didn't know that it'd look this good even we organised it in the first place again?" Lisanna laughed.

"I have no clue." I said. But my head wasn't taking in any words. I was kinda rendered a little speechless, honestly. I knew the Spring Festival was beautiful. I just didn't think it'd get that beautiful. I laughed.

"Let's go, people!" I marched on.

And so we did.

Gajeel and Levy have the best time in couple booths. Or just booths in general. Thing is, there's stuff toys everywhere as prizes for little competitions. And Gajeel is competitive as is. It just gets even more enhanced when Levy is involved. This left the short blue-haired girl having to carry at least three giant stuff toys that her boyfriend had won. Lisanna carries another two more for her.

Gray and Natsu try to outmatch each other in every booth they play. They went for the sniping booth and tried to have their go in that but are beaten easily by a certain green-haired girl.

"Bisca!" I yelled out. Alzack grinned beside her.

"Those two going at it again?" she laughed, "You guys ought to keep them down because someone's going to kick their ass tonight and I'm just the first chick at it."

"We try." I chuckled.

"You guys did an amazing job here." she breathed out, scanning the view.

"We just planned it," Juvia pointed it, "Although I'm not sure how this much could be done today. You know any teams who would've took on the job?"

"Are ya guys saying that there shouldn't be any lanterns in the first place?" Alzack asked.

"No, no!" Yukino began, "There should. But just not this much. I mean, it was suppose to be. We originally planned it all to be exactly like this. But sorta mid-way abandoned the idea because there weren't enough teams to cover for the decorations and help it out."

"Not to mention it was suppose to be right in the middle of the festival." Minerva pointed out.

"Wait." Natsu prompted, "So who did all this?"

"Class 4A was in charge but even they reported a week earlier that they couldn't do everything so they had planned to do just around two-thirds of the work." Yukino explained, "I was disappointed but there was nothing we could do so we had to let them."

"Maybe they just changed their mind." Gray shrugged.

"Isn't 4A a hard-working class to begin with?" Gajeel added.

"No.." Juvia muttered, "4A..is in charge of the East. They were already on a strict schedule because most of their members are in the Sewing Club and their stalls are located in the West. Lucy?"

I simply nodded. Nothing was making much sense. "That's correct. It'd be unlikely for them to just do work because they felt hard-working for it."

"So, like I said," Natsu began, "Who finished up the work?"

And no one had an answer to offer.

* * *

Everyone tried to sorta forget the harrowing question glued to our minds after that. Bisca and Alzack go off to finish their conquest of smashing just about every sniping booth in the area and I quickly learned to appreciate the shining light of the lanterns dimming against the darkening night sky.

The area is buzzing with chatter and sometimes it takes Natsu to say things two times for me to even hear.

"You know, the whole thing is like a mystery." the pink-haired boy leaned to me.

I laughed. I agreed that it kinda was. "Yeah, I know, you excited about it?"

"Fuck yeah!" he raised his arms, "This shit just doesn't come up every once in a while and I'm going to solve it."

"Are you now?" I muttered, grinning. We were losing everyone to the crowd a bit. I thought Yukino was just by my shoulder a minute ago but it turned out that some Italian mother was.

"You look like you're lost." Natsu grinned.

"Shut up. C'mon, we've got to hold hands again before I have to go walk all the way to the radio station to announce a pink-haired child being lost." I laughed and held out my hand for him to take.

He grumbled, "I can do the exact same for you."

"Natsu, a lot of people are blonde more than they are pink-haired. I don't think 'blonde-haired child' really narrows it down."

"What about 'blonde-haired child who danced up the Folk Committee's parade float yesterday'?" he grinned.

"Maybe, maybe." I laughed.

We proceed to get lost after that.

* * *

I'm absolutely sure I have no clue where everyone is apart from Natsu now as I scanned the area I was in. I wasn't even sure which street I was in either. It was either St. Marcia or Elizabeth St—I was leaning more towards Elizabeth. The time was nothing either; I think a few hours had passed since we had arrived. Maybe two or three. Probably four, actually.

It was the fact that Natsu had dragged me to different little carnivals and booths and stalls in the last few hours that time seemed to zoom by so quickly. It was all laughter and fun and games and time was like nothing when it came to that. Time was shattered to pieces when it came to the pink-haired boy's laughter was well. That's what I had thought.

We had gone through a few candy booths at the time.

"We shaw really go fin da othas" Natsu said through a full mouth of a chicken kebab.

"I know. But I can't find anyone in this crowd." I told him, he was holding my hand rather tightly actually. He apparently thought for sure this time I was going to get abducted.

"You got a clue on where they might be?" it seemed that he had swallowed the kebab up.

"I don't know about Levy and Gajeel, they must've gone off to some booth where Gajeel smashed the whole thing again." I muttered. Levy was probably drowning in stuffed toys.

I continued, "And Yuki and the boys are probably just everywhere they can find. I don't know."

I sighed. I wondered if everyone else was trying to find each other as well.

Natsu and I stayed in a large flock for a few minutes until I hear sound of guitars or banjos. _It can't be._

I whipped my head around to face the pink-haired boy, "Natsu, what time is it?"

"What?"

"What's the time? What is the time?"

"Calm down, calm down." he snatched his phone from his back pocket, "It's, like, 11. Uh..11:53. Why?"

Oh no. Oh no. The last time slot. The last time slot. I felt my head get looser, my heart beat rapidly faster. My pulse going insane. Quick on my feet, I gripped the pink-haired boy's hand and sprinted. Fast and nimble, it was like flying through the crowd. I could not miss this. This was the very point of stopping the war.

"Oh my God, you really gotta warn me for this running shit!" Natsu yelled and laughed behind me.

I do not look back. And suddenly I knew this street and the next and the next. I knew the way to the area of my destination. Turns out we were actually in St. Marcia because I'm heading my way to Elizabeth. Elizabeth Street; where it all started and where it all will end.

I spotted the crowd circling around the familiar musician. The Folk Committee.

I sprinted through the crowd and ignored a few annoyed mutters of a few people I had rather rudely skimmed through. I didn't care. I could not bring myself to care.

I pushed through the crowd to meet the casually dressed Folk Committee. I recognised the old man holding the banjo.

Natsu asked repeatedly what exactly I was doing behind me. I ignore him.

"Well, hello there, pretty lady." the old man casually greeted, "What's your name?"

I smiled, "Lucy. My name is Lucy Heartfilia."

The words don't only widen the eyes of the old man, but the other members behind him. He teared out of his shocked state a minute later and smiled cheerfully.

"Why, if it isn't Ms. Heartfilia." he laughed wildly, "We thank you for the opportunity you have given us tonight."

"It's my pleasure."

Natsu continued to make confused expressions beside me.

"And we are more than happy to accept the request you have asked for." the man chuckled and the rest of the members smiled.

He continued, grinning. "What will it be, Ms. Heartfilia?"

I know the exact answer. I felt like I had been reciting it these past few weeks now. I grinned.

"I will wait." I breathed out.

The man and the rest of the members' eyes glistened. They knew this one and I knew they did. The man turned to the rest of the members and laughed.

"Well, you heard the young lady!" he chuckled and pulled the banjo closer to him.

The words are like honey to him and I instantly gripped the pink-haired boy's to lead him to the empty circle.

"That's our cue, Natsu!" I yelled out, laughing.

"What? What cue?"

And he doesn't receive an answer because the area is suddenly filled with the booming and cheerful sound of the banjo instantly. It's not slow-paced to become fast-paced, it might even be eternally the opposite.

I took both of Natsu's hands in mine and suddenly, we're dancing. This was becoming a hobby, I thought. But it didn't matter. Because I might as well be the happiest creature on Earth. If I could be the girl dancing on top of a parade float then I sure as hell could convert to the girl dancing to Mumfords and Sons in the Spring Festival surrounding a rather stunned crowd. Natsu doesn't do anything. He hardly objects. Well, he won't object to me anyway. I wouldn't let him.

I'm becoming the same bundle of happiness the day before. Lost in thoughts. I realised I didn't even have shoes for the third time. Who needed shoes anyway at this point? I laughed and felt my bare feet against the pavement and felt the warmth of Natsu's skin. I think my hair tie fell off again. The blinding and flashing and shimmering lanterns above and surrounding us was like tiny flashes of my own happiness. The crowd was stunned, but they eventually become comfortable with it. I loved this; I loved the banjo and the voices of the Folk Committee and the rapid tempo of my chosen song. I loved it all.

As Natsu swirled me around, laughing as he did, my eyes meet a familiar figures standing within the crowd.

"Levy!" I called out, not breaking the pink-haired boy and I's dance.

"Lucy! Why are you-" she laughed and I saw from the corner of the eyes that she had gripped her boyfriend's arm and dragged him from the circling crowd and into the dance. Gajeel tried to protest but he is absolutely defenceless against her girlfriend's laugh. And he went along with it.

Two familiar figures emerged from the back of the crowd, "Excuse me, coming through!"

I knew that voice. "Look, Gray!"

I didn't even have the chance to look at them before I heard, "C'mon, you dumbass! We've gotta dance as well!"

Gray doesn't even object. I think it's like how I would never let Natsu object. Gray eventually laughed and gave in. I think they're dancing now because another couple and a little children join in. I mean, if the very people who were running the entire city was doing it, then what was the harm of everyone else?

I continued to laugh as I took another glimpse around me whilst dancing to see Yukino and the boys' appearance. They were all dancing together. With Yukino just in the middle, laughing her ass off alongside a wild Sting and a smiling Rogue. Rogue might never admit that he was enjoying his time with his best friends but the rest of the world could probably tell.

I took another glimpse to the right and spotted Erza, Minerva and Kagura doing the same thing. They might've just finally gotten back to their old selves fully because they're all laughing and screaming and laughing again. This was them. This is what they were. I smiled at the thought.

Lisanna and Mirajane eventually appear with a wild and probably drunken Makarov. Lisanna and Mirajane dance together. They're very good, free and playful. I thought that they might pass off as professional dancers. But then again, the Strauss sibling could pass of as professional anything.

I pulled my attention back to the pink-haired boy who had not stop laughing since the very start. I was the same way. It was like what we were yesterday out in the blistering hot sun and not to mention, on top of a parade float. But we were now surrounded by people; people we knew. People we loved and laughed with. People who deserved the same happiness. I loved the thought of that.

Happiness might not ever be describable. But I can take a shot and say it's barefoot against the pavement and endless laughter and pink hair and friends and family and the light of lanterns and a good music and the warmth of the delight engulfing you. I will never be able to write the essence of happiness, but I sure as hell could feel it.

As the banjo played on, my stomach took the most unexpected turn. A presence. A strange one. I frown for a split-second. It was surely my imagination but I couldn't help but think of two or maybe even three strange presence. It was a wary feeling and Natsu seemed to notice it.

"What's wrong? Am I just not that great of a dancer?" he almost yelled out through the music and the sound of feet on the concrete.

I laughed, "No, no, don't worry about it!"

And to assure him, I smiled and twirled around once more. But there was still something to air around me, the slightest glimpse of figures I didn't quite know. But I ignored the thought and the feeling in favour of everything else. Everything that there was. The lights and the warm air and back to the sound of laughter. That was where I had currently belonged.

We danced around like that amongst the many others and their laughs for several more minutes until I felt a faint drop against my forehead. And then it hit me. Drizzle. The tiniest of rain.

"Holy crap." I howled of laughter as I danced.

Rain. It was raining. Just the tiniest bit of rain. I worried for the fireworks for a minute before realising that it was just the smallest drizzle. It would not stop the fireworks. But it was still amazing. Everyone else looks up momentarily as the music slows down. Rain pouring down. It was like something from the movies. Rain in a festival—the most convenient of rains too—whilst people danced through midnight. Rain after three full days of sunshine. It was like destiny or fate or one of those things.

I laughed and everyone briefly looks thrown off but I would not let that ruin it. I continued to dance with Natsu. The rain pattering gently on my cheeks and the only thing I could really do was laugh about it. Children loved the rain, even if it was just the tiniest bit. They danced with their mothers and probably felt like grownups. Grownups. And here I was, feeling like kid. So was Natsu, I think. And Juvia and Gray. And Lisanna and Levy and Gajeel and Yukino and Sting and Rogue. We were still tiny. The tiniest of kids.

The song boomed even louder and I loved it even more. The banjo was going insane. The Folk Committee seemed like they were having the time of their lives. I think they wanted to laugh more than everyone in the area but were forced not to because they had to focus on the song.

I felt my hands go everywhere. I knew the song was going to end but I felt too happy to even spare a bit of sadness about it. I felt my legs moved through directions and steps and I heard my own never-ending laugh. I wondered if I could really make it this way. There was no place on Earth I could call home more than Koharu. And I wondered briefly if I could ever make the pink-haired boy feel the same. I hoped and pray to all the gods out there that I could. All it takes is a little bit of bravery and a lot of bagels. Yes, that was it. I laughed.

I was already there. But I would wait for Natsu even if it took years.

In the midst of all the laughter and happy feet and flesh grazing flesh, the song ends. And I felt breathless. Things tend to feel like that when it came these kinds of circumstances. I still felt the presences but I still ignored it. But what I didn't ignore was the cheers of everyone in the area. I mean everyone. Hands flew up the air in delight.

And as if on cue, a spark few through the air. And the sound of faint boom. And the colours of fireworks against the night sky devoured everyone's attention. Natsu laughs and grins and smiles all at the same time beside me. I couldn't decide on what to feel. I couldn't pick and if the world could end then, well it was okay. Because if the world ended, then it would've ended in my state of happiness. There are moments in life where the feeling of danger no longer really affects anything.

Everyone turned to stare admiringly at the fireworks but another flash flew before me. My head a little dizzy and confused, I whipped my head around.

Blue. Yes, blue. I was sure of it now.

And I felt my mouth go dry as I finally found the final piece of the puzzle.

His hair. His skin. That tattoo. I felt my face almost turned pale just as much the person he was standing in front of.

And everything clicked. Her absence, her demeanour, that phone call, that apology, that presence. And finally the lanterns. This was not Natsu's mystery to solve.

As the crowd cheered on to the fireworks and the chatter only grew, everything turned mute for me and probably for the redhead. My head blurred and my heart leapt so many beats. The drizzle hadn't even stopped yet. The chaos around the area was nothing suddenly. Because I was looking at him as he was looking at her and she was looking at him.

 _"..Okay, it's okay. I guess I was just panicking or seeing things. I'll tell Erza later. There's nothing wrong. Thank you."_

Three is supposed to be a lucky number. I was unsure now.

 _Jellal._

* * *

 **Spring Festival Arc: Carmine to Azure.**

 **I hope you got the message from that. Song is obviously; 'I will wait' by Mumfords and Sons.**

 **So, it's finally over! I'm so, _so_ tired. This took two days of just thinking and writing and thinking and writing and the occasional food breaks. And we're heading straight to a new arc. Goddamnit, I seriously did not think it would go to 10,000 words. Nothing unexpected as it's the end of the arc though. I'm so sorry that I couldn't finish this yesterday and upload it then, but seriously, it's 10,000. And I still had to do a bit of artwork. But I'm still very sorry about that delay. Anyway, as usual, I'll be taking a two day break to manage the upcoming arc and all the chapters to write up. I'm very excited, that's all you should know. But then again, I'm always excited when it comes to CC. It's 12am already here in Aussie and I was typing so fast so I could finish this up.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Azure; (adj.) Blue in colour. Like a cloudless sky._


	36. Acid

A girl with the most beautiful crimson hair stood firmly at the front of the class.

I had almost gasped. Almost. But it wouldn't have made much of a difference because the whole classroom was guffawing anyway. I looked through her eyes; brown eyes and red hair. And there was something about her that sparked the immediate interest in everyone. Yes, she was beautiful but the boys didn't create heart eyes. But it still lead everyone a little speechless as she walked through that classroom; hair in a braid, eyes unblinking, feet so firm to the ground, stature straight and poise in her uniform.

Juvia, Lisanna and I sat on the edge of our seats. There was nothing we knew about her except for the fact that her name was Erza Scarlet. Scarlet. It was such a fitting name. It felt almost destined for her. I stared as she strolled to the seat she was assigned; third row, fifth seat from the front. Or namely; right in front of me. Silent. So silent as the rest of the classroom stared at her. She was like a gem. Beautiful, yet untouchable. I couldn't help feeling curious. Eventually the rest of the class continued in their chatter and the attention towards the girl faded away like fog and Erza Scarlet's back turned out to be the new sight in front of me for the rest of the school term.

Bindi Academy was a girls-only middle school. It wasn't anything prestigious, not like Magnolia, but it was a bit popular, I suppose. Just a little higher up from the city's West Wing, it was the very school that introduced me to Juvia Lockser alongside Lisanna Struass. I enrolled during the very first year and the ball had gotten rolling from there. But we were now in our third year. We would find ourselves at the front doors of Magnolia Academy just a year later, but back then the halls of Bindi was the only place I had really ever thought of. A bit country-based as it was a little out of town but it was still surrounding a few shops and tiny cafes every now and then. West Wing was once a bit more nature-oriented at the time.

"Erza Scarlet." Juvia muttered the name at lunchtime through a chocolate cupcake.

Lisanna hummed, "She seems..a little..you know.."

"Restricted, restrained, tough?" Juvia offered.

"Sad." I breathed out.

Both girls eyed me warily. We were located at the school gardens. I think a few clubs were out for the spring tryouts at the time. The Annual Koharu City Spring Festival then was almost near too.

"Sad, huh?" Juvia muttered, "I guess that's a good guess as well. But she seems a bit more angry, don't you think?"

"Angry?" Lisanna repeated innocently.

Well, Juvia's guess wasn't based without evidence. The redhead had only nodded or shook her head to questions. And when asked the questions, she knew the answers but there was a monotone voice to it and it left shivers down my spine every time she spoke. Her voice; it was strict and precise but there was something sprinkled in between all of it. There are things only you can taste and detect that others can't only because your tongue had met it before.

She did things so accurately and finished the job well but it seemed like there was nothing in it for her. No soul, no real voice. That might be what the others thought, but there was something to her actions that seemed a little warm for me. The way she'd sincerely give honest answers to questions. And the way I knew her brown eyes only burned down her work as her head laid low when whispers were passed around about her.

The funniest thing was that it wasn't at all the whispers that seemed to bother her. Nothing really did. It was so strange to see someone unbothered by all that was surrounding her. She reminded me of strong towers that held up high and mighty and proud. Indestructible. Almost.

"Where does she eat?" I suddenly asked.

"Hmm..I'm not sure." Juvia answered, taking another bite of her cupcake.

Lisanna nodded, "I really want to help, honestly. I just don't know where to start."

Where to start. Where could you start when it came to a beautiful yet stoic redhead? I didn't quite have the answer myself. There wasn't a wrong or right answer with this one. Erza Scarlet may be proficient in maths; but no one was an actual easy equation. Things didn't work like that and I knew that for a fact.

We don't say anything more afterwards. I don't agree and yet I didn't disagree either. I'm wasn't sure what Lisanna and Juvia thought. They already had their own stories as is. I knew about all of it. I knew that they felt terrible inside about not approaching the girl, but they had their own complications. But I didn't. It wasn't heroic, not even an sense of obligation. It was what was nice. _She_ told me that sometimes there didn't have to be reasons to perform acts of kindness.

So it was then decided that on a rainy Thursday, that'd I'd have my shot at conversing with the redhead right in front of me. I hadn't quite informed either Lisanna and Juvia but it had been a hasty decision at a strange 4am.

The stampede had occurred yet again as the first bell rang. I gripped my books as I held them to my chest. My breath was now sorta hitching. It was a nervous experience and I scolded myself for thinking that it was. This wasn't suppose to be a nervous thing; I was going to just ask if she had done the latest english homework. The plan was nothing purely original; I was going to ask for a bit of help on it. Although at the time I was already battling myself over tiny details; maybe she'd be suspicious? I was already fairly good at my english work. It didn't really at all fit for me to ask for help all of a sudden. Eventually I concluded I'd just work with the flow at that hasty 4am. I was going to stroll to her, initiate the plan and see how it'd go from there.

Third row, fifth from the front. There she was as I had half-expected her to be. Sitting in a diligent way with a book or two in her desk, already scribbling down what I assumed to be notes in a pad. Her scarlet hair was pulled in a ponytail and she looked a little tired. The classroom was already half-full and chattering, I needed to make this quick. I felt my knees already grow weak. _Cmon, feet. Move. Just move._

I try to emit casualness in my demeanour. I had too many things rummaging through my head, I thought that I'd even mess up the very first sentence I'd say to the redhead. My very first sentence to her. This encounter needed to be perfect for it to be able to get going.

I slowed my pace as I reached the girl still engrossed in her notes. She seemed to have noticed my presence as her brown eyes meet mine and I felt a weird sense of assurance.

"Erza, right? I wanted to as-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence before a gush of laughter filled the room. I whipped my head around to face the source. A group of girls standing in the corner of the room near the room windows.

"So, she doesn't talk because she thinks she's better than everyone else?" one gushes loudly.

"What a bitch. Spoilt for a new kid."

"She's not even that pretty."

I felt my face darken, eyebrows scrunching forward. To the corner of my eyes, I realised the redhead had clearly heard. This was not good and this was not part of the plan. I resisted every bit of urge in my bones to lift up the desk and throw it across the room.

The redhead's mouth opened as well as mine to say something but we were beaten to it.

"Saying that right when she's in the room, don't you think you're a little spoilt yourself?"

And the whole room stood still.

* * *

 **So, I'm back. I'm a little early but I wanted to update this chapter up because I don't want things to get too stagnant. This arc is not fully mapped out, I'm still having complications with the story line so expect a few day-offs. I'm really sorry about it but I like to map the arcs out so I know where the fuck I'm going ;) Anyway, here a little lowdown on this arc like I did for the SF.**

 **Story layout change. With each arc, I like to mix and spice things up narrative-wise. SF had an episodic feel to it with different days with different people. This arc is going for something different; you'll have to see. But don't worry, it's only for this arc so things will change/go back when the next arc comes up.**

 **This arc will be short. Definitely nothing like the length of SF. I didn't even know SF was going to be that long honestly, things just happened and ideas popped up.**

 **If you like predicting stuff for in future arcs, I'd pay attention to little details in this arc if I were you. And this is almost exclusive man. This arc is the only one where the little details will make sense in the future. This one arc.**

 **Thank you so much for reading; reviews are all welcome with loving arms.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Acid; (noun) A substance with particular chemical properties including turning litmus red, neutralizing alkalis, and dissolving some metals; typically, a corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind. Bitter or cutting remarks or tone of voice._


	37. Urge

"Saying that right when she's in the room, don't you think you're a little spoilt yourself?"

My head turned to face the blue-haired girl standing, face blank and almost unmoving as she glided through the front doors.

"Juvia thinks so." she continued as she casually strolled down the front of the room.

The girls held their defences as they almost crouched down the corner of the room.

"Shut your face, Lockser." one raised their voice eventually, "I wouldn't try to pick a fight with your sort of reputation."

Juvia did not blink, did not move an inch of her expression and I wondered briefly if she was even remotely breathing air. She only moved forward. It was a like a bullet shooting through bulletproof walls that held up so high you wondered why anyone would try in the first place.

"Juvia doesn't think that's a nice thing to say." she chuckled dryly, "Juvia doesn't think you should pick a fight with _her_ , actually."

I resisted my own smirk. Juvia only ever did this when she was feeling something particular. It was sort of an defence mechanism. Or maybe a fighting one. I couldn't pick because she rarely ever bought it up. I suppose it only ever happened in special occasions. I supposed this occasion was fancy enough for it.

"And Juvia certainly thinks that you shouldn't fight with Ms. Erza either. If you want to pick a fight, say it in front of her face, not in the corner of the room." she finished as she burned down her glare through them.

"You should listen to what she's saying." another voice piped up. Lisanna Strauss emerged into the room. She was with expression however; a smile—sure as hell wasn't genuine—was plastered neatly on her face as it tilted in an innocent way.

"We wouldn't want to get a fight happening, do we?" she laughed. And there was something to it that could've left anyone warily shiver.

There was nothing to say for the other girls. I felt myself sigh of relief as the teacher conveniently strolled in a moment afterwards. She seemed to have noticed the rather tense atmosphere but only shrugged. I mouthed an apology to Erza who only nodded as I meekly strolled to my seat. So the attempt had failed. But not by that much. At least it ended with something; I just couldn't decide whether it was a positive or negative outcome. I feared for the worst as I leaned forward to the negative side.

Juvia walked without expression to her seat around the sixth row alongside an almost grinning Lisanna. I spotted the white-haired girl offering a quick smile of reassurance to the redhead and I could've swore the girl in front of me slightly froze as she received it.

I proceeded to not learn or process a single thing in the entirety of the lesson afterwards.

* * *

The third bell of the day rang to thankfully signify the first break. I sighed as I glanced and skimmed my eyes through my notebook. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I wrote down notes but I had no idea what exactly any of the figures meant. It seemed the morning's early little plan failure affected even academically.

The girl in front of me didn't move out of her seat. A few girls quickly glanced at either her, myself, Juvia and Lisanna as they marched out of the room. A few glares and words that definitely wasn't overwhelming praise under a few breaths. Then again, there were things that did not deserve my attention or care.

Juvia eventually got up to stand and sighed heavily.

"Man, Juvia's beat." she chuckled as the room cleared alongside the teacher except for myself, Lisanna, the blue-haired girl and the redhead.

"Right, figured Juvia would be." I sighed.

"Hey, don't tease me." she stuck out her tongue.

"You don't have to go out of your way of making it look you're going to run them over, Juvia." Lisanna laughed.

Juvia didn't take this to heart and only scoffed, "But I was! Saying things like that right when Erza"—she pointed to the redhead—"was right there! How rude! Don't they have any manners at all?"

I pointed accusingly at the white-haired girl, "And you don't have right to talk! You were doing the smile."

She grinned, "What smile?"

"That smile!" I protested, "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Not a clue. Nope. No idea." she laughed.

I slumped my shoulders, "One day I'm going to have to bail you two out of jail and you know what, I don't even have the money so we're just going to be criminals for the rest of our lives."

Juvia shrugged, "Doesn't sound too bad actually."

"You didn't have to go through all the trouble." a voice suddenly piped up amidst all our chatter. I turned to face Erza Scarlet. I still had no idea what exactly she thought about the hectic events of the morning.

But Juvia doesn't miss a beat and neither does Lisanna.

"Don't be silly." Lisanna began, "It needed to be done."

"I would have done it for anyo-" Juvia tried to add but was interrupted.

"I could've handled them myself." Erza protested, "I don't want you guys to take any burden on this."

Burden. What burden? I forced myself to think straight on as the eventual laughs from both girls emerged.

The blue-haired girl wiped a tear of her face, "I don't think you understand, Erza."

"It's okay, Erza." Lisanna chuckled, "Lucy, just tell her already and whilst you're at it, go ahead with your plan."

They knew about my plan. Goddamnit, they always knew.

"Erza," I turned to the redhead, "These two idiots didn't do it because they had to, it's because they wanted to."

The redhead froze. I think it's the most genuine expression I had ever seen etched on her face. A restrained type of shock. Maybe these kinds of heroic moments never really happened to her. Or maybe they just happened too little to her. But I'd have to agree that it was never heroic. People aren't really heroes. Heroes do things because they have a sense of justice. I think Juvia, Lisanna and I did things because we want to see redheads with books stuffed in their faces smile a little bit more. I do things because you only ever find the better things in life once you start exploring.

"And anyway," I laughed, "Do you think you can help me out with Question 5 on that Vocabulary worksheet?"

* * *

Erza is a little shy. She doesn't seem that way when she recites work or when she answers complicated maths questions, but it's there. But she's not overly shy. She's got an air of certain confidence in her abilities. I think Juvia might've picked it up on it and liked it. She's not boastful but she seems like the type with her intelligence—that wasn't the case, however.

The redhead agreed to help me do work but she seemed like she wasn't exactly sure herself how'd she do it.

"Question 5?" she repeated, "Are you sure?"

Juvia and Lisanna snickered behind me. I felt like maybe throwing a desk at them. That would not work. They would be able to lift it midair. It was a losing battle.

"Yes. I need the help. I think you'd be a pretty good tutor from the work you've done so far in class, Erza."

"It's nothing significant." she argued firmly.

"Now, that's a lie." I teased, "But can you?"

The girl eyed me a little warily. I knew well and maybe she did that she could teach me no doubt. Actually, the work was nothing major and difficult but I wasn't really dumbing myself down either. She could help me extend my own answer. She could help me and we could eventually make some kind of mutual friendship. She could help me stop my two best friends from snickering in the background.

"I guess, if it's not too much trouble for you." the redhead eventually breathed out.

I felt my smile widened, "Great! I'm really glad."

"But where could we do-"

"Don't worry about that." I cut in, smiling, "Are you free for morning tea, Erza?"

"No. I'm looking through a few books in the library."

I briefly frowned before quickly smiling again. I didn't feel like she pressuring her. Nobody did. Erza seemed like she could handle herself in that way.

"Okay. I'll see you around then." I grinned widely before hastily snatching my books and leaving the room, waving to the redhead as I exited. Juvia and Lisanna caught up as I was mid-way through the hallway.

Juvia frowned, "What was that?"

"What?" I turned to the blue-haired girl.

"You let her go!" the white-haired girl went on for Juvia, "Jeez, I thought you had a plan."

"Which reminds me, how did you guys know about my plan?"

"Natural instinct, I'd say." Juvia grinned, "Now, back to the topic, why did you just leave it?"

I didn't have a real answer myself. Or at least, I never thought thoroughly about the answer. It's like that feeling of reassurance in a person. It's something like trust, although it seemed strange considering that I hadn't known her all my life or anything. But it was there and as calculated I can be, it was nice to run on instinct sometimes.

"I..don't know." I admitted. There's a silence.

I continued, "I feel like..it's just that the way it is, you know? Not that I'm dropping her, no. It's that if she's planning on something, she's planning on something. I feel like she knows what she's doing. I mean, who knows? If you hadn't been there this morning, she might've really been able to just defend herself."

"Assurance, right?" Lisanna offered.

"Something like that, but yes." I nodded.

"We're not dropping her, right?" Juvia asked.

"Hell no." I scoffed. Juvia and Lisanna's laughs echoed through the hallway without much care for the students around.

And anyway, I wasn't at all willing to let go of Question 5.

* * *

 **I thought I could finish this little part of the story this chapter but it seems we've got one more chapter to go. This will have to be quick, I don't really want to extend it even further. Anyway, I've been working on more secret projects and I really, really need to update The Heartfilia Files this weekend or something. But after next week, it's the school holidays here in Aussie so I'll have free time within two weeks to just keep updating and updating and making more content.**

 **So, one more thing; you should check out fairyofsoul's 'Horizon'. It's a new fic around here and I really recommend it. Meg's already got myself and a lot of people hooked and it's only been the first two chapters. If you're into Greek myths and girl power, namely Luvia, then I seriously would not be able to find a fic more perfect than Horizon atm. Meg's a wonderful author and I recommend checking out her other works anyway. Go ahead and read it!**

 **Thank you for reading; I love all your reviews so much. You guys put the hugest smiles on my face.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Urge; (verb) Try earnestly or persistently to persuade (someone) to do something. Encourage._


	38. Rose

Thoughts continued to scour around through my head when the next two classes followed.

Science had only involved written work and History was not that enjoyable. Throughout these two, the redhead had only done her work as she did in the last few weeks silently. Though, there was a certain kind of change to her but I couldn't really tell what it was too clearly. But it was there and it in the way her back didn't seem to be stiff anymore and on one particular occasion; when asked for the answer of some kind of math question I was clearly not too focused on, there was a certain tone to her voice. She sounded happy. And nobody seemed to have detected it—it was quite well masked—but as she sat back down that seat, I resisted every urge to hang my mouth open. It was kind of hard.

When the bell rang alongside the plethora of exhausted sighs around the classroom, my eyes shifted across the room to the blue-haired girl. Juvia nodded knowingly and turned around to face Lisanna right behind her. This was going to be Plan B. Or whatever the hell it was. But first, Juvia had to quickly sprint to the canteen to buy a burrito—she had insisted on it because apparently she would not stand wasting $5—whilst Lisanna and I were left to fetch our own lunch.

"You know," the white-haired girl had begun as we strolled through the hallway, "I really do think she's nice."

"Erza?"

"Yeah, she does work and she does it good and she's really pretty and I feel like she knows that she can do stuff." she nodded, "It's exactly as you said."

"Glad to know I'm wise."

"Yeah, yeah. And she's just that type that seems to be able to handle herself. You were pretty spot on."

I paused. I think it had occurred to both of us at the same time.

I sighed, "That's..got a flaw, doesn't it?"

The white-haired girl smiled sadly and suddenly her attention turned to the polished floor below us.

"Yeah, it really does."

* * *

Juvia eventually arrives with an unsurprisingly angry expression whilst she gripped her burrito. We were walking towards the school's north garden. It was pretty much an open field with a few benches here and there.

"Honestly what the hell is up with the canteen these days?" she complained, "The lines are so long."

"I don't know why you even bother going to the canteen." I commented.

"Neither do I really." the blue-haired girl admitted.

The field was still a little bit damp. A few girls we knew stopped by to either chat about the whole morning accident or the fact that we were insane about going outside on such a rainy day. Although the rain had stopped at the time and all there was left was a slightly eerie series of wind and rustles to the trees. The sky above was gray but clouds were already starting to move forward.

"I'm getting my shoes wet." Lisanna informed suddenly.

"So am I." I added.

"Eh, I don't mind it." Juvia shrugged.

"That's because you're practically one with the rain, Juvia." Lisanna pointed out.

"Yeah, we're bff's." Juvia nodded.

"I feel so betrayed." I pouted playfully.

"So am I." Lisanna added.

"Awh, I love you guys." Juvia protested.

"I love me too." I quipped.

"I hate you now." Juvia changed.

"I love you too babe."

"I love us too." Lisanna eventually said.

"I feel betrayed somehow." Juvia sighed and Lisanna and I laughed.

We scoured around the area until I spotted the blotch of red in the distance and eventually the outline of the redhead sitting on her lonesome on a single wooden bench. I lead the way as the two behind me followed in some kind of chatter that I couldn't seem to make myself focus on.

The redhead who we were approaching didn't seem to even notice as we drew closer. And eventually she found herself surprised as I suddenly sat to her right with the blue-haired girl sat to her left. Lisanna sat next to me with a grin.

"Do you mind if we sit with you, Erza?" I turned to the redhead with my biggest smile.

The redhead was left with an unreadable expression and took a moment to reply.

"No. I don't mind." she eventually breathed out. And I could've swore on Juvia's goddamn burrito this time that the redhead sounded happy. Excited even.

I liked this about Erza. She knew her answers straight and she knew how to deliver things without any sort of problem. She really was something built with iron steel.

"Thanks!" I grinned as I unraveled my sandwich wrap.

"What do you think of Bindi so far?" Lisanna suddenly asked the redhead.

I felt myself get a little nervous towards her answer. Maybe she thought the morning accident made this place the equivalent to a hell' spawn ruled by bitches. Which it was. But sometimes you had to look at the positive side of things.

"It's nice." the redhead eventually answered and as if she was trying to reassure us about it, her lips curved, "It really is, no matter the..strange events."

Juvia, Lisanna and I ceased to speak for a moment. Her smile. It was like one of those thing. A ray of sunshine, maybe. So rare and so precious. Things like that were dangerous. Juvia eventually broke the show silence by snorting.

She laughed, "Strange events? That's a nice way to put it."

"Don't worry about Juvia." Lisanna assured, "She can handle anybody."

"She really can. It's kinda scary." I nodded and the redhead made a sound that resembled a laugh. I wondered when she could be reduced to actually laughing.

"Don't say that!" the blue-haired girl whined then turned to the redhead, "I'm a nice, really nice, person, Erza. Don't listen to them."

"I'm sure you are, Juvia." the redhead smiled. It was the first time she had addressed anyone by name. Juvia briefly flashed a hint of surprise about it then smiled.

"Good, because the other two are actually the ones who are bitches."

"Hey!" I growled.

Lisanna laughed, "You think I'm going to deny that? My sister is Mirajane Strauss."

"Mirajane Strauss?" Erza repeated.

I explained, "Lisanna's older sister. She's a bit of a legend around her in Bindi, haven't you heard her name pop up every once in a while?"

"No." the redhead admitted.

"That's a surprise." Lisanna muttered, grinning, "She went and took on a bunch of girls because they had pissed her off intentionally. I still don't know why, it's like they were going for a death wish."

"Is Mira doing alright?" Juvia suddenly asked, "I haven't seen her in a while."

Lisanna chuckled, "She's went part time in a ton of jobs. Her goal in life is becoming some kind of professional barista, I swear. But she keeps moving in and moving out of cafes. I still wonder if she's ever going to find a job she can finally settle for."

"A cafe around town." I muttered, "I heard Starbucks is going to be built some time soon or something."

"I don't know." the white-haired girl sighed.

"This talk about jobs is so depressing." Juvia commented, "I mean, I'm still wondering about the whole bartender route."

I laughed, "I still can't believe you're really going for that."

Erza turned to the blue-haired girl, "You're going to be a bartender?"

"I don't know. It's probably a losing battle. What about you, Erza? You got anything you want to be somewhere there in the bleak future?"

Erza was taken aback by this question and she took a moment to reply, "I'm sure I can get around to just doing some more part-time jobs. I've done a lot before."

"That sounds really nice." Lisanna sighed, "I'm just going around and helping out Mira these days. You, Luce?"

I didn't think the answer out. "I think I can just support myself for the next few years beca.."

The words faded from my mouth because I had realised this was not a story to tell. This was not the time for this story. This story might've even been not mine to tell at all.

"Nevermind." I suddenly blurted out and all three girls stared at me unsure but Juvia seemed to accept that it was something that had to be brushed off as she eventually went on to complain about the bartender job.

"Where are you planning to head off to next year, Erza?" Lisanna suddenly asked.

"Next year?" Juvia repeated, "That's, like, ages away. High school ought to be interesting."

"Ages away? It's a just a few months." I chuckled.

"We have to live in the 'now', you know." Juvia preached.

"Since when did you get so wise?" Lisanna cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure, actually." Erza finally answered. I was slightly surprised. For someone like her, I had though she'd have most of her life planned or something. I scolded myself for judging too fast internally.

"Really?" Lisanna sighed, "I think I'm going for Magnolia."

Juvia and I gaped our mouths opened, "What?!"

"I didn't hear about this!" the blue-haired girl nearly exclaimed as she leapt up.

"Juvia, sit down before people think you're going for a brawl." I instructed and she followed, "But still, Lisanna, I didn't hear about this either."

The white-haired girl only laughed, "I didn't mean to drop a huge bomb on you two alongside Erza."

Erza only cocked an eyebrow, "But what's Magnolia Academy?"

"Rich, snob school mansion." Juvia offered vaguely as she took a bite of her burrito.

"Don't listen to her. It's just a really, really prestigious academy in Koharu. It's at the South Wing and it's huge. They practically run the whole Spring Festival every year. The entrance tests are hell apparently." I explained.

"You guys make it sound like a hell." Lisanna laughed, "Sis says she doesn't mind if I don't go there even though apparently I'd be entering the place as 'The Demon's' sister if I did."

"So, you're really going for it?" Juvia sighed.

"It'd depend what I'm going to enter as my subject for the entrance tests."

"Oh yeah." I muttered. I hadn't even thought much about that.

"I think you'd great if you went for that school." the redhead suddenly smiled at Lisanna and the white-haired girl grinned and shrugged.

"I'm not sure if I'm even going to be able to pass. You can get in if you wanted easily, Erza."

I nodded, "You can choose maths and you'd be able to pass no doubt."

The redhead shook her head, "I think I'd have as much trouble as any other."

The blue-haired girl laughed, "You're too modest. I highly doubt you'd encounter any problems."

"What's with the entrance tests?" the redhead asked all of us.

"Magnolia is so huge that they have no time for normal subjects. They have specialised subjects. Stuff like woodwork and art and music and all that. I hear they have stuff like engineering for the geniuses or things like that." Juvia explained.

I went on for her, "You pick a subject you think you're a genius at or something and let the academy decide whether you're any good to be able to be one of the students basically."

"It's, like, basically America's Got Talent or some other country." Juvia shrugged.

"It sounds harsh." the redhead nodded.

"So, what subject are you going to pick for your entrance, Lisa?"

The white-haired girl grinned, "I'm going for the general academics. But other than announcing my so-very-important-and-shocking future, I wanted to have people to go with me."

I groaned, "I'm too tired and mentally unprepared to face hell, thank you."

Juvia sighed, "I don't know. It feels like applying to Harvard knowing full well you haven't got a single chance."

The white-haired girl protested against this, "You two are insane. You two are practically at the top of the class. Juvia, you're the fastest runner and swimmer around here, you've been to regional level. You can be national level, for God's sake"—the blue-haired girl laughed at that—"Lucy, nobody has beaten your English scores at all."

I laughed, "I don't know, okay? It's a really big school. It's international level. I hear they have geniuses from all around the world whilst I'm just local Koharu folk."

"You are not!" Lisanna almost growled.

Juvia leaned back and sighed, "I don't know. A friend is apparently applying there as well, actually, but that doesn't change anything. I can get into a sport entrance but who knows if there's some idiot out there who's just as competitive."

"Knowing that place, there probably is." Lisanna chuckled, "But seriously, you guys have got to go."

"We'll never pass." I protested, "I mean, I'm not saying we're lowly mortals or anything like that with absolute zero intelligence. But I mean, it's Magnolia Academy. They've got standards."

"And I don't care about that." the white-haired girl announced, "At least take an entrance? For me? If it doesn't work out—which I still think is the most unlikely thing—then there's every other school on Earth that will take you guys in. I'm giving it all I've got, will you guys do the same for me?"

"I feel like you were trying to make us feel good and then ended up with the opposite there." Juvia laughed "..But, if you really are serious about this, then I'll take the entrances."

I sighed, "I guess I'll follow suit."

Lisanna grinned and proceeded to pinky promise Juvia and I. I shrugged and laughed. I had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into, but Lisanna was seriously persuasive.

The white-haired girl eventually stood in front of the redhead and extended a pinky. The redhead was taken aback yet again. "Me?"

"You promise me you'll try with me, Juvia and Lucy to get to Magnolia Academy, Erza?"

The redhead was stagnant, "But, you don't have to go through the trouble.."

Lisanna laughed, "Things end up being way more fun if more friends get involve."

The redhead didn't seem like she was processing things right but suddenly, as Juvia, Lisanna and I remained there, unaware and definitely unprepared with absolutely no warning, the redhead laughed. I blinked alongside the other two girls. Her laugh was a little different. It was warm and light. It was sort of like music to the ears. Something like a reward. Whatever it was, it was pleasant. It wasn't like anything I was particularly expecting but then again, I wondered to myself what exactly it was I was expecting. But that laugh seemed to mean everything. It even contained her answer.

The redhead smiled and extended her pinky to reach Lisanna's. "Okay."

The sun was suddenly peeking beneath the clouds and little rays of sunshine formed in the midst of the damp weather outside.

That promise turned out to be one of the most important in my life. It was made on the 15th of March, 2010.

It also turned out to be one of the sunniest days in Koharu during that year.

* * *

Months had passed by since and suddenly, almost as if time glided by swiftly, it was now September. It was now time for panicking.

Juvia went and trained for the past three months in preparation for her entrance test. She swam, she dove and free-styled so fast in the water, it was like watching some sort of dolphin by the second month. She ran everyday; back home and to school. She didn't wear her uniform until she was in school because she wore sports gear to run to school. Lisanna, Erza and I thought she was insane; she woke up 4am to run the half an hour trip to school. She did not jog; she sprinted. It made me want to pass out from exhaustion just looking at her. All three of us would either provide bottles of water in the morning or just straight up pour a entire bucket on her. The canteen ladies eventually prepared bottles every morning just for it. She thought she needed to train more; I thought she was ready for the Olympics.

Lisanna might've scold the blue-haired girl for working too hard but she wasn't anything different. She stayed up late studying, revising and doing notes. She recorded lectures on her phone. She had Erza tutor her in maths. She went to every teacher and scheduled extra classes. Some days she wouldn't even leave the classroom for lunch. Juvia, Erza and I stayed with her, watching students outside. She bought books, she read books, she almost threw one out the window once and it all repeated. Lisanna was going a little insane as well; but on days when she'd look like she had gone for overdrive, she'd fall asleep in my apartment, muttering as her eyes would eventually shut to a close that she was giving it all she had. And I never doubted her about it.

And myself? The others never knew. It had dawned upon them suddenly on a windy day in May.

Lisanna turned to stare at me on lunchtime, "You know Luce, what subject are you actually taking for your entrance test?"

I blinked, "What's with all the interest all of a sudden?"

"Don't try to sneak out of this one," Juvia grinned, "You haven't told us your subject at all since we promised we'd take the tests."

"They're right." the redhead grinned beside me. So they had realised only 2 months after.

"I'm not telling." I stuck a tongue out. The girls gasped until Juvia cocked an eyebrow.

"That can't be right, you have to be taking either the general academics or english."

"If you think I am, then you think I am." I teased.

They didn't stop fuming and guessing about it until the day ended.

The truth is, I had an idea for what I was going to do for the tests. It was one of those things that had suddenly flashed through my head and I wasn't sure about it. The thing was, Juvia and Lisanna and maybe even Erza were all for it. From their work, I knew that they were serious about it. I wasn't quite the same. It wasn't that I thought I wouldn't be able to pass, it was that I hadn't cared much for the Academy at all.

That was a mistake of a thought when I look back, but it was there. As for what I was doing; I never practiced it. I felt guilty knowing my friends were working hard with everything they had for their tests and I didn't do much for my own, but when I tried, it only hurt. It hurt to do it and eventually I came to the conclusion that I would just go do what I had to do in the test and leave the Academy to judge the rest. I wasn't sure if I would pass, I wasn't sure if I would fail, I wasn't sure if doing it hurt more than not doing it.

And as for the redhead; she had maths teachers give advice and equations that I would never find myself understanding even if my life had depended on it. She worked hard in both maths and sciences and ran occasionally with Juvia. On some other note; the redhead had changed. She was shifted. I think it might've been all Juvia, Lisanna and I's fault. The redhead had stuck by us. Juvia ranted to her once about a subject in which the only thing I can even remotely recall is 'if life tries to punch you in the face, punch it back harder'. Lisanna tells her that friends are there for each other. I think the white-haired girl noticed something about the redhead that made her talk about that type of thing. I don't know why I had offered to the redhead, but that had never really occurred through my head at the time.

Whatever I had offered, it didn't seem to really even matter because the redhead laughed and smiled and grinned and made jokes more often now. She laughed heartily like we all had; without much care for everyone else that watched. She smiled more and talked and grinned and joined in the teasing. But she held her air of confidence, her sense of strength of some sort and no matter what, she was still that girl in March.

But eventually, things came to a halt in Autumn, September.

* * *

There are times when things are going too fast, too slow or too chaotic in life. I had always thought I preferred it that way. And I do. But one of the most memorable memories I shall ever have were when things were stagnant. This had only occurred three times in my life. One of those three was in September on my third year of middle school with Erza Scarlet.

We were situated at my apartment during a study session. The redhead had gone off to prepare some kind of snack in my kitchen as I laid out all of the books, notes and whatnot. Lisanna and Juvia had been busy as usual so we were left on our own to study for a few upcoming science tests. I scoured through my bag in search of a textbook then raised my head to face the redhead's back.

"Do you have the Level 11 textbook? I think I forgot mine at school."

The redhead didn't turn around, "Yes, it's in my bag, go ahead."

I darted my eyes around to find the blue shoulder bag perched on a chair. I snatched the item and swiftly unzipped it to skim through the contents in search of a yellow textbook somewhere. Instead, I spotted sports gear, a few notebooks, a pencil case and suddenly I made out the outline of the familiar textbook on top a unfamiliar notebook. I narrowed my eyes for a clear look and spotted a photo of some sort sticking out of the book; half a face and..blue hair?

Without much thought, I gently reached my hand for the photo, slipping it out of the notebook with ease gently. I felt my eyes widen; a rather handsome boy with a smile on his face, a look of content in his eyes and the most peculiar and intricate tattoo on his right eye. He wore a coat, his hair was blue and from the photo, it seemed like he was unaware of the camera as he faced almost sideways.

"Lucy, have you fou-" the redhead's voice halted as I turned, photo still in hand.

I only then realised what I had done, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry"—I dropped the photo as it landed to the floor—"I didn't meant to look at it, I'm so sorr-"

I didn't get to finish my apologies because my eyes finally seemed to work and suddenly Erza Scarlet stood in front of me, eyes prickled with tears. I felt my heart sank as I sprinted over to the redhead to pull her into my arms

"Erza, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I really didn't mean to." I wondered if the redhead's body was even functioning because her arms dangle to her sides and her face grew almost emotionless. And then it turned to raw pain and sorrow and I suddenly knew that it was heartache.

"No," the girl suddenly muttered, "It's not your fault, it's not yours. It's mine. It was all mine. I don't know how but it was mine."

"What?" I gently asked and I suddenly guided the redhead to sit on the couch.

"It's all mine. It's all my fault." she repeated, eyes fixed to the ground.

I frowned, "Erza, nothing is your fault."

"How do you know?"

I sighed, "Because you're you. I..just know."

It was the truth. It was all I could say. I didn't know if it did anything to what she thought.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you guys sooner."

"You don't have to tell us what you don't want to tell us, Er."

"No, but I want to tell you now."

I nodded, motioning for her to continue.

She sighed, "His name is Jellal."

"He was a friend of mine when I was at..the orphanage."

I felt my eyes widened and I knew she was looking at me but I didn't say a word.

She continued, "Everybody seems to depict orphanages to be such a kind places, and most of them are. Mine wasn't. It wasn't the worst place, but it was never the best. The people looked down on you and you were punished, rather severely."

I almost winced at the thought.

"I never knew how'd I even get there in the first place. My earliest memories where in that orphanage. I had never really asked. But there were so many children already there, that no one had really even bothered to keep up with why they were there and who were the parents or anything of the sort. It was a hopeless case."

"But I became friends with other children. And Jellal"—she looked on almost lovingly—"He was the most nicest of friends. He encouraged me. He told me what I could do once we were able to get jobs and support ourselves. And there was Simon and Millianna and Wallie…Sho. They were so kind and hopeful. And.."

"..suddenly, when it was finally time that we could go out and find jobs for ourselves and hopefully get to places we actually wanted to go, Jellal..disappeared."—her eyes burned down the ground—"He left. He just left. He just wasn't there all of a sudden in the orphanage. Nobody knew where he went. _I_ didn't know where he went."

"I..broke down that year. It was two years ago. He was..almost everything for me. He made me want to go out there, reach for whatever I wanted. And he had..just disappeared. Not a single trace. Even the police go involved, but they never found him and they never released some public statement about it either. The orphanage didn't want to suddenly have all the attention in the world considering their..treatment."

"I went to find jobs. I went everywhere. I worked and studied for myself but Jellal never left me. I broke down too many times and then one of my friends, Simon, he..he went out. He had the biggest drive to find Jellal all of a sudden and of course, he never did. I wasn't functioning too well on my own. I was breaking down every hour, every minute for unfathomable reasons, some of which weren't even about Jellal."

"During that year, Simon..died."

There's a sudden silence. It's not quite peaceful and it's not eerie. I felt the world was suddenly stagnant then. Erza had suffered. I couldn't even imagine what she had been through. Strong and brave and firm Erza Scarlet broke down at the news of someone she loved disappearing and dying.

"I wondered if the world was going to swallow me that night. That night..Simon..it was raining so hard and everything was blurring. It was so dark. He and I..we walked down the middle of the road and I suddenly started crying. I was screaming again..and again. He knelt down and he tried..so hard to help me..and it was so dark and the only thing there was was rain.."

"And..we never saw it coming…the car lights in the middle of the pouring rain.."—she paused and her voice was suddenly hitching—"I-I was suppose to be the o-one to take the hit..Simon..h-he saw it at the last second and..he pushed me as hard as he could to the side…"

I felt my face go pale. Erza's hands had shivered as she spoke.

"..and..and..i-it was all a mess..I got up a few minutes after the crash and he was thrown off the side. He was..dead. He just..was. T-The last thing I heard him say was my n-name. I screamed and cried out in the rain with..w-what was left of his b-body.. until the ambulance and police eventually c-came."

I felt my knees go weak as she went on. Tears only prickled down her eyes and yet hadn't sobbed.

She took a breath and paused before continuing, "His sister. I knew that they were separated when they were even younger. Simon..he was sent off to the orphanage. His sister was in another country. I've..I've never met her but she had apparently looked for him everywhere after breaking out of her mother's grasp and learning about his death. He..he d-died protecting me. I have no clue what to tell his sister."

"Erza.." I finally breathed out.

The room was silent and stagnant and Erza doesn't say a word for many hours except for answer a few questions of mine silently. This had all took place in Akane City, a nearby area to Koharu. We don't do the work. We don't study. I try to block out my thoughts but it doesn't work. Erza moved to Koharu to get away from everything. Her friends had moved to places; she doesn't know exactly where anymore. It was all an escape.

But that never said that it won't chase her eventually.

* * *

Erza leaves the next morning. The redhead had fallen asleep on my couch. And I took the courtesy of leaving a blanket on her. The morning sunrise was the most beautiful I had seen all year.

The redhead and I embraced in the streets of the North Wing as she left for the train station. I waved her off a little less enthusiastically as I had originally planned before she had spoke of her past. She smiled and waved back eventually before her broad back was the only thing in sight to me.

I watched as she strolled through the empty streets. That back. The one that had been my sight for the last six months. Full of strength and kindness and warmth but also pain. Raw pain and wretchedness. Burdens that she had to carry for herself. I almost understood everything. Erza was never one to complain; she did things unhesitatingly. I frowned; but now she laughed and smiled and found peace. Maybe peace that would never truly last forever, but peace that she could be content with.

Erza Scarlet. A beautiful girl who stood so firmly and assuredly with all the strength and power anyone could muster in themselves. Erza was strong towers built brick by brick so carefully, you never wish it upon yourself to battle her. And yet, she had cracks and broken pieces that may never be restored.

Erza Scarlet; the most strongest and capable person I knew. But she was also vulnerable because of that very fact.

Erza Scarlet was strong towers that may never collapse for centuries but may truly fall in one day.

I muttered under my breath as I took the steps back to my apartment a moment afterwards.

"Erza.."

The most beautiful crimson hair. The strongest. The weakest.

"All the pain in the world can be subjected to you and you would lift that with all the might in the world…"

"Erza, you are strong and you are brave and you are capable in every sense but you are vulnerable for everything that you are.."

"Erza, you cannot lift all of what they throw at you. We will help you with everything that you have. Because everything that you are is what we have accepted and your pain and wretchedness comes along with that.."

"Erza, the world will never be fair and it wouldn't even try but if you share that pain with those who you have the bonds with, you will find your peace within that.."

"Erza, love is what makes us strong and what makes us weak."

I twisted the apartment doors to find the view outside my windows. The light was gently filling the room and I only found myself sadly smiling.

The sky was coloured the most breathtaking scarlet.

* * *

 **Oh finally, I've finished this part of the arc. Almost thought I needed a fourth chapter and then I was like 'no ice not now you piece of shit' and kept writing and look it's almost midnight now. I'm not even that tired, I watched a few episodes of Tower of Heaven again whilst writing this for a bit of inspiration on how I was going to do stuff.**

 **Anyone up to the manga? Like, goddamnit Eileen what did you do? Everyone is freaking out about that nalu moment I don't know what to think.**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always welcome with loving arms.**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Rose; (noun) a prickly bush or shrub that typically bears red, pink, yellow, or white fragrant flowers, native to north temperate regions and widely grown as an ornamental._


	39. Soar

**15th, March, 2010**

"So, she doesn't talk because she thinks she's better than everyone else?"

"What a bitch. Spoilt for a new kid."

"She's not even that pretty."

The words echoed so loudly that it had even reached to the front doors. God, those girls crept through my nerves faster than any other person on Earth and any other person on Earth would _try_. They were simply just being themselves. I guessed that Erza Scarlet was already in the room as she was usually early. Lisanna stood almost frozen beside me and I glanced at the girl who only nodded. I guess she knew.

I strolled through the room after a quick whisper from Lisanna not to actually murder the girls. Murder. Well, she said not to do it physically. I could do it internally.

"Saying that right when she's in the room, don't you think you're a little spoilt yourself?" the words flew out of mouth without much thought.

I think I'm pretty proud of the fact that I can do that kind of thing without much thought. I could either be proud or ashamed of it. I choose pride simply because negativity is not tolerated in Juvia's world.

The room was instantly silent. It wasn't even full. To the corner of my eye, I spotted Lucy standing in front of the redhead's desk. I resisted a smirk. So she had planned something up. She looked she was about to say something. I guess I'm great at timing.

The girls in the corner of the classroom looked terrified. Reputation does many wonders, don't you know? They suddenly practically huddled themselves to the corner and I told myself not to laugh. They were picking a fight with Erza Scarlet all the way over there? Erza Scarlet, who was already dominating sports and looked like she could kick all of their asses whilst drinking tea? Where they asking for a death wish?

I shot a few daggers, "Juvia thinks so."

My old habit. It comes up every one a while. In use for certain occasions. For example; intimidation.

"Shut your face, Lockser." one of them suddenly bravely began, "I wouldn't try to pick a fight with your sort of reputation."

Reputation. I told you it does wonders. I wanted to laugh but I realised beforehand that it'd sadly ruin the glare so I kept a straight face. I wondered what Lucy or the redhead were thinking. I don't think this was my fight. It's was probably Erza's. But I like to make a good surprise appearance. And the redhead was new; she didn't need to be tainted yet. I mean, she sorta already was but it could have been worse.

"Juvia doesn't think that's a nice thing to say." I chuckled. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have the police hunting me soon. Some of these Bindi girls have Louis Vuitton handbags as their schoolbags.

"Juvia doesn't think you should pick a fight with _her_ , actually." I added and I'm telling the truth. I briefly imagined myself lifting one of them off the ground and maybe throwing them out of the windows. I seriously don't need to have the police involved in my life.

I think about the redhead I was doing this for. I think these girls would have had to receive more damage than I ever could if I hadn't intervened both Lucy and her.

"And Juvia certainly thinks that you shouldn't fight with Ms. Erza either. If you want to pick a fight, say it in front of her face, not in the corner of the room." I tried to finish off, adding a glare of the highest level. I thought for a moment that that'd get them to back down, but I'm mistaken because one opens her mouth to speak.

They're interrupted very quickly, however.

"You should listen to what she's saying." Lisanna practically barked behind me. I'm was sure that she was smiling. I quickly glance at her to confirm this. Killer smile. Very effective, very deathly. Every time she flashes it, I'm always quickly reminded that she truly is Mirajane Struass' sister.

"We wouldn't want to get a fight happening, do we?" she adds. The group finally backed down. They know a Strauss when they see one. Them and their elder sisters. I'm glad to know they're smart enough not to challenge one.

I headed back to my seat and Lisanna followed suit as the teacher eventually arrived. I stole a quick glance at the redhead from my row as I strolled. I'm pretty sure Lucy is mourning over this event or something. She looked a little dazed.

The redhead seemed a little bit taken aback at first but from the looks of it, she doesn't seem awfully surprised. I'm sure she could've handled it well on her own for some reason. There's just that sense or air or whatever it was to her. I admired her a little for that. A very capable person. Someone who knows what they are doing. Someone you can rely on. But I frowned; someone who you can rely on. And who would Erza Scarlet turn to rely on?

Erza Scarlet. She's certainly a special case. One that truly deserves all the attention she's receiving. I thought of dear Erza as a case of the lone knight. Someone a little like myself but that was back then; I had Lucy and Lisanna now. Once you have the right people to lean your head on their shoulder, well, things still don't change drastically. Problems and troubles won't necessarily disappear in a blink of an eye but you have someone to relate to or to cry to. It's a different experience that way. I'm grateful for everything I had; especially the likes of Lucy and Lisanna.

And what did that leave Erza Scarlet? A girl who took on the world by herself? There is no doubt on this Earth that she probably could without much trouble in her way but it still left a rather strange feeling to my heart. Certainly she didn't seem to open much to anyone—Lucy could fix that. Lucy can do that kind of thing. She did for me. She certainly can do the same for Erza Scarlet.

So who was Erza Scarlet? Back then, on that day, she had smiled and laughed. The very first smile and the very first laugh that she had offered to all three of us. She promised Lisanna that she would try her as well to get to Magnolia Academy, the devil's spawn. I thought much of her. She's very gallant, very reassuring as Lucy describes she is and at the same time, very much alone. She spoke of burdens. Burdens that I could only guess had stabbed her in the back many times in the past. I was never one to know. But that didn't say anything about guessing.

I adored Erza. She's a very admirable person, I'm sure. She starts and she finishes work. But there are times when you spot her having those moments of sentimentality. She'd daze off when watching sunsets; and I was sure it was never admiration for it, it was something a bit more. I noticed she didn't speak much when it rained. I didn't know what to think of that. I loved the rain, she may have despised it. She's a person that speaks with all the honesty and heart in the world. I think I liked her for that. But when you display your heart like that, you're far too vulnerable for your own good. Weakness comes along with all the strength in the world. There will never be anything to change that no matter how unfair. For one thing; it was something I had experienced for myself.

Who was Erza Scarlet? I didn't think much of it. But she was who she was. She was what she had built herself to be. Nobody can be indestructible no matter how much they try.

That came from experience as well.

* * *

 **17th September 2010**

There are many rumours that come along in the South Wing. One rather hidden was of a girl in Akane City a year or so back. A silent report that went rather unheard of a man by the name of Simon whose life was tragically taken in an accident in where he had apparently tried to either reassure the girl who had broke down in middle of the road or possible confront her. Nobody quite knows other than the fact that his life had been taken. It's new and old news; it was a year or so ago but nobody had really passed it along.

Lucy or Erza or even Lisanna might never associate themselves with this kind of gossip. They don't really associate themselves with chatter around town in general. It's my sort of job. It's not for the entertainment either. We are not really the scum of the city or anything like that. But when you have a reputation that involved people despising you because you are apparently a 'Rain Woman' who brings about the worst of misfortunes, you're bound to have stares and glares of people that might never have uttered a single syllable to you in the first place. This is what Lucy pulled herself into. Lucy, who was so warm and gentle and kind pulled herself with someone cold and merciless. She dragged herself in my mess.

And in my gratitude, I'd confront anyone who'd go against either her and Lisanna for the very fact. I don't think it was ever a secret. I think they had a feeling that I did this kind of thing. I don't think they minded at all. Lisanna would do it and she'd even be more effective. Her sister is The Demon. Lisanna and I do this kind of thing a bit; we try to protect anyone who really lays a finger on Lucy. Physically or verbally, I don't think we cared. I'm just a little more active in the activity than Lisanna.

Gajeel was an old friend of mine.

He was my source of information for this certain piece of news. He was a dear friend as well. I'm sure he's the only person who's allowed to call me Rain Woman. He does it endearingly. I'm very fond of him; then, he was the only one who understood me as someone other than a person who brought about thunderous rain. He's a genius and he scolded me to make more 'girl friends or whatever the hell you women call each other'.

I met up with him on the park. It was on a sunny Saturday in September. I was still in my sports gear. I spotted the long-haired figure seated on a nearby bench as he waved lazily.

"You look energised." he greeted as I drew closer.

I drew a few deep breaths, "I told you I'm aiming for Magnolia."

He grinned, "I know, I know. You're going to kick ass in the tests just from what I've heard you're doing."

I plopped myself on the bench beside him, "I still don't know if I'm good enough for that place's standards."

"Bullshit." he laughed, "You're fucking sprinting everyday from the East to the South, you're pushing yourself to do it in less than half an hour. You're insane."

Gajeel was thirteen then. So was I. So was Lucy and Lisanna. And so was Erza.

I howled of laughter, "I don't know about all of this. I'm scared that it's all for nothing. I may not even pass the tests. What would these past three months be by then? A waste of stamina, Gajeel."

"This is why you're insane. One for the whole training and two, for the fact that you think you're not going to pass." he muttered.

I sighed, "You're a genius, Gajeel. Thirteen-year-old mechanical geniuses don't know what us normal runners think. You're going to pass in your tests and you know it."

This time Gajeel howled of laughter, "You're saying you're not a genius? Don't kid yourself, Rain Woman."

I finally smiled knowingly, "You know what I had to do."

"Yeah, and if you're going to continue doing it, then do this instead. And make sure you kick ass at it."

"You know anyone at Richardson stubborn enough to be able to take me on?"

The black-haired boy laughed and held up one finger, "One. Only one. You'll definitely meet him somehow. The bastard is going to get his ass kicked."

"Sure, sure." I grinned then turned to the black-haired boy, "Now onto important matters not necessarily concerning myself and my future."

"I don't know why you're looking for this kind of information."

"I just am."

"You usually request what stuff concerns you. As far as I know it, this doesn't have 'Juvia Lockser' written on it." he pressed on.

Gajeel was from Richardson Boy's Middle School. The biggest middle school in the whole of Koharu. It was overflowing with students. Teachers might stress in any school in general, but they stressed a guaranteed eight times more when it came to Richardson. But with that amount of students, came along a certain amount of rumours and talk passed on. Gajeel knows people.

I frowned then eventually sighed, "It's..familiar. The whole thing. I feel like I know something about it."

"What?"

"It's hard to explain, okay? I just know it sounds familiar. I don't know why. If you want a more valid reason; I think it's an interesting case."

He chuckled, "Right, you better be glad I know a few up at Akane. His name was Simon Mikazuchi. He was in a orphanage that I'm pretty sure is dissolved now. The girl he was protecting broke down in the middle of road. That one I'm not too sure about. The weather that day was shit; windy, it was pouring rain."—he sighed—"It was dark out. And in all that rain."

He continued, "He was trying to help her. The ones about him confronting her is definitely bullshit this time. He saw the car heading towards them at the last minute..and he did what any guy with a brain ought to do."

I almost winced at that.

He sighed, "It's a fucked story. Neighbours heard screams and crying outside just a moment after it all happened. The girl was fucked up. She saw..his body. And that wasn't probably the best sight in the world."

There's silence before I eventually spoke, "Who was she?"

"I have no clue." he admitted, "But one thing is that she wasn't sent anywhere. That's something. She wasn't sent to some mental hospital. It's even more fucked up that way; they were eleven. That's just two years away from us. He died at eleven. She saw him practically die to save her life at eleven. It's all one fucked up story."

"They didn't send her to a therapist? She supported herself at eleven?" My head spun. An eleven-year-old girl doing part-time jobs? An eleven-year-old girl seeing that horror? Her own saviour's dead body?

"Pretty much."—he sighed heavily—"I don't know, it's seriously not some bedtime story, that's for sure."

"Have you got anything about her?" I finally asked.

"Two things only." he grunted.

"Which are?" I prompted.

"Are you hunting this person down or something?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"No." I answered simply and he sighed.

"One is that she left Akane as soon as everything was over. She wasn't put into legal shit. Turns out someone witnessed the whole accident and saw him push her the other way so she was not some murderer. She just left. God knows where to."

"I don't think anybody would have cared for turning against her anyway. Except maybe his sister or something. Don't ask me about her; this time I really don't a clue. I just know a sister exists."

I nodded and he went on, "The second thing..is a bit weird. It was the only thing they had mentioned out of the whole accident and honestly it's got nothing to do with anything."

I cocked an eyebrow.

"I hear her hair was red or something."

I froze.

"Not ginger, not anything like that, but pure red. They thought it was somehow interesting."

 _"You didn't have to go through all the trouble."_

 _"I could've handled them myself. I don't want you guys to take any burden on this."_

 _Scarlet hair._

 _Scarlet._

 _Erza Scarlet._

* * *

I waved goodbye to Gajeel eventually as he left for the West Wing. The revelation had been unveiled through my head but I forced myself to keep my mouth shut about it. It had all fit. Erza; I had never her face in Koharu at all. And I knew a lot in the area. Erza, who didn't have us to carry burdens. Erza who was silent yet quiet but still held that air of determination and strength. No, she wasn't like that anymore. It had been six months since she walked through the classroom and successfully stole every person in the room's attention. But she wasn't like that anymore? Was she?

I tried with all my will to forget about it all but it wasn't something that could easily slip off your mind and fall into obscurity. Or maybe it was and that I was just simply holding too tight to it. So I ran. And I never did anything other than that until the next day. I slept until 2pm to be able to do this. A jog around the city, to anywhere, in any road, in any street, in any neighbourhood. I knew my way back. It's what good memory is for. I would run until the depths of midnight and until the sun rose, hitting all there was in Koharu and beyond. I wondered if Erza would ever face that sunrise.

The streets of Koharu used to be a little more green. With bushes and landscape and little mini practically in every corner of the city. I used to enjoy it thoroughly. It was something pleasant that accompanied you whilst you took every running step, shoulders moving back and forth, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. My only companion was a large bottle of water, my phone and a pair of earbuds almost glued to my ears.

People think that the moments of chaos are the most prominent and most of the time, they are. But there are moments of silence that I like to appreciate. It's not overly peaceful either, thoughts scurry and rummage through your head one by one but you have all the time in the world running to sort those kind of thoughts out. It was the same for swimming. There are moments of focus when your legs and arms do their work, but your head always wanders elsewhere. I ran and swam because in a way, it was the only thing that helped me escape from whatever it was out there that tried to strangle me with their problems with either myself or themselves. You might mind your own business—and that's a good thing—but there are others out there that wouldn't allow it. Nothing was fair, even if it tried to be.

Even if you tried to be.

* * *

When I run, I think of many topics and many subjects. This was not the case on that Sunday morning. All I could think of was that it was freezing. I didn't actually seem to be able feel the cold, I just knew that it was. I had ran for hours on end, things like the weather don't affect you by then. Only a few facts occurred through my head. One was that midnight had probably passed by; time flew rapidly when you run around an entire city. I ran, sometimes I jogged, a few occasions I walked to recharge.

The second fact was that the sky was going to be awoken any moment. I hadn't even looked through my phone ever since it notified me that it was midnight. I didn't care; running in the nighttime was oddly comforting. I could only faintly identity trails and roads with no idea which street or path I was heading. As long as there was service, I could just contact Gajeel, go through his morning rant consisting of him panicking, thinking I had ran all the across a country border and telling him to pick me up.

The third fact was that I was probably out of town. The areas between the five main regions, like the South-West, where what you can identify to be the country. There were even a few farms settled between all the city bustle. Fields and grass and landscape that you'd never expect from Koharu. Don't you know? Koharu used to be a real farm-type area, even a bit isolated. Way up north settles Akane City, it was the big influence city-wise.

My breaths was even heavier than a few hours ago. I was really pushing it. It was my longest running streak. My breathing was inconsistent as well; I really needed to work on that. My legs ached; the burning sensation only ever fuelled me. The weight and ache of every step only made me want to keep going. I try not to think about anything in this sort of situation. Things like that only really distracted me from moving forward.

But I couldn't help thinking about the redhead. It was the sort of temptation that I couldn't resist. If there was anyone out there who had red hair—no, scarlet hair—and experienced the horrific incident that Gajeel described to me who wasn't Erza Scarlet, then I would be damned. Everything about Erza settled so well in the story, it was practically impossible for it to be any other person. That's what I thought.

And so what? What exactly did this even advance? What would Erza do about this? She ran. She escaped from it. A narrow escape. Koharu was a narrow doorway that lead her to a stagnant state. Because even if she was growing happier each month, there was no doubt that there would be a lingering feeling of hallow pain placed in the chest. I couldn't blame her for it; from the sound of it, it wasn't something that you could just let go of. It was a flame that would never die down until you actually try to do something about it.

My knees were almost giving up now, and the sensation of beads of sweat trickling down my neck was finally taking an effect. I was pretty sure I was having hypothermia or something; if that was the case, I did not detect it at all. Which seemed even more abnormal; I was wearing shorts, a gray V-neck, runners with my hair whipped into a ponytail. I realised that it seemed like I was asking to be frozen to death. The sky was clearing up now but the weather was still brisk.

Then finally, I took in the silence, unplugging the earbuds and stuffing them down my pocket. All that there was now was my heavy breaths, the sound of my shoes pacing through concrete, the rustle of grass through the fields afar and finally the distinct chirping of birds. I liked it this way. This was my narrow escape.

When the sky finally became to lighten, I darted my eyes around my location. I knew this area; I was already out in the country. But I knew it. I took my guess that I was near the North Wing. The North Wing; the skies were always pretty up at the north. It's not quite right at the area though, I had been somewhere between the north and the west. But it was like the roads and the fields around me were familiar. Nostalgia of some sort. It was breathtaking.

When I was out the country, I would think about the city and Lucy and Lisanna. I'd think about the world beyond Bindi; what was out there and what wasn't. It was all so enamouring; we'd be strolling through the halls of high school just a year after that. But what stuck to my mind was Erza Scarlet. She was almost too electrifying to ignore.

Even my arms were starting to strain now. I let the silence sink in and turned to stare at the concrete beneath me. Head trying to focus on absolute nothing. That's what I wanted. But it never ended that way. Everything was pulling itself back to Erza Scarlet. And I suddenly wondered what exactly I was doing was what she had been desiring her whole life. To run away. To silence and peace and grass and trees and concrete. To someplace else. Where was her 'someplace else'? Where could she run away to betray her own problems? Where she could breath and relieve herself, knowing nothing was chasing her from behind? I didn't know. I asked too many questions I could never find the answers to.

Have you seen the open country? Where all that there lies are straight roads with a few turns and broad fields and the boundless sky? It's a view to appreciate. When you run out there with only the silence accompanying you, it's like the trees and fields are pulling you in their own little world. When you look in every direction, it's like the world is limitless. And at the same time, it was like you were bound. You can stare forever in the far distance and you could guess, you could only guess what was beyond your sight. What was out there. And suddenly it's like the horizon is challenging you to reach out for it.

My head focused on the ground and eventually, in the midst of all the thoughts and the heavy breaths and the pacing of my own feet, the concrete beneath me suddenly was lit with a dazzling yellow. I laugh my breath and raised my head, looking to my left.

Beyond the horizon, beyond the fields of grass that seemed never-ending and beyond the boundaries that I knew Erza would not be able to reach and extend her hand towards to, was the most beautiful scarlet sunrise.

My pace slowed and I couldn't take my eyes off the sky. It was almost impossible. I kept running, my legs still ached, my arms still ached, everything still ached. But that was nothing. Nothing compared to what she had to go through. I stare at a flock of birds gliding through the sky, heading towards that sunrise, heading towards directions and distances I would never even dream of imagining. They all reached towards that beautiful light, that dazzling light. Everything seemed to slow down. As if it was taking a breath of air to calm itself.

Who was Erza Scarlet? She was the most beautiful of birds. The most strongest within the flock. With the most breathtaking of wings. She'd lead and she could soar through the vast and open skies.

But she was the only one trapped inside her very own cage.

* * *

 **Guess who's got a day off from school tomorrow and is extremely excited to be writing up more secret projects, CC chapters, drawing and all that jazz? Me. Me. Me. I was scheduled to go to Melbourne on Wednesday too but that plan isn't happening rn for some reason (don't ask, it's complicated). Anyway, by the end of this week, it's going to the school holidays here in Australia I swear to god I'm screaming of anticipation.**

 **One more thing; if you have Tumblr, I'd love to chat there or something. I'm a little new so I'm still a newbie just posting unnoticed art and stuff but everybody's got to start somewhere, right? My username is 'illustraice'**

 **And one last thing; story covers will be changing each arc! Do you like the one I created featuring Erza?**

 **Thank you for reading; reviews are welcome with loving arms ;)**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Soar; (verb) Fly or rise high in the air._


	40. Oneself

**17th, September, 2010**

"That happened?" I murmured into the phone.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad." Juvia sighed through the other line.

My head ached. "She..had to go through all of that?"

"Lisanna, you won't treat her differently because of it, right?" she muttered.

I shook my head as if she was there, "No! No…I'm not."

I couldn't think why I would ever. Erza's had been my friend for six months now every since the whole accident in the morning wherein Juvia and I had gone and confronted a group girls that honestly should've done themselves the favour of keeping their mouths shut. And not exactly because they had to deal with both Juvia and I, but because if we hadn't done what we did, they would've have to deal with Erza herself.

"I..don't know if I really should've told anyone. No one would've figured out the pieces of the puzzle nonetheless. But I feel guilty." she spoke softly.

"It's not your fault, Juvia." I breathed out, not quite sure what else to say. What was there to even say? This wasn't gossip. It wasn't something to pass along to anyone anymore. Who would even take the pleasure? I grew sick of thinking about who would want to pass whispers about a redhead screaming her lungs over a dead friend out in the dark night.

"I know." she sighed as a pause occurred, "..I need to go to sleep."

"How long did you run?"

"Ages. I can't even tell anymore. I don't know. I know it had been hours."

"You really need to stop overworking yourself."

She snorted, "Says you."

I chuckled, "..Well, I have to go."

"Yeah. I'll see you soon."

And I hung up, not really waiting for her to do it as I usually did.

What the hell was I suppose to think? To even conclude from it all? I decided to try not even touching upon it? Was I even remotely involved? Did this really change anything, for that matter?

In some kind of lousy attempt to clear my mind, I chucked my phone to my bed and nearly stomped all the way downstairs to the cafe. Sis would help me. She could heal practically everything. I glided through the stairs and eventually found myself in the cafe's realm. The familiar smell of cakes and the faint sound of music from Gramps' era was enough to calm me. The cafe had only been established until fairly recently. Lucy and Juvia didn't know about it yet, I hadn't invited them and they hadn't really asked. I had planned on telling them when we could finally make our way over to high school, which was beginning to become a problem.

"Lisanna." the distinctive voice called out.

I sighed and smiled, "Sis."

Sis beamed, despite the chill to the room and the fact that she probably hadn't sleep properly for a while. It had been an agonising few months just searching for jobs and apartments and all whilst Elfman went away yet again for more spiritual journeys. In truth, he was going out of his way to find more jobs more than ever. Out there in huge cities compared to Koharu, he knew he would find a way. And he has. He sends over money occasionally and we do likewise. It was a family thing. But leaving Koharu was never in Sis' agenda. I could feel the same, but she felt even more attached to the city than I was. It wasn't too hard to really see why; Koharu was the place she had grew up in.

I never knew my parents. I don't think I ever will. Sis knows. My childhood days were a hazy blur. I still can't remember most now. It feels like I had only woke up to the Koharu skies and Mira and Elfman constantly getting jobs everywhere. They never spoke of the details; I think I've tried to ask, but the words never found themselves escaping my mouth for reasons even I could not fathom. Maybe asking for the truth meant I would receive an answer. Maybe I didn't need that answer. Elfman and Sis had that answer and they hadn't done anything about it. Maybe they did; maybe the universe screamed against their wishes.

Things like that were nothing against the present then. Makarov, 'Gramps', spoke with Mirajane in a long afternoon 'interview' of some sort. He must've heard some kind of astonishing news because he let us 'rent' the rooms above the cafe building upstairs. Gramps himself had lived in another room just a few paces across ours. 'Rent' wasn't even money. It was just Sis' work. She sighed a long-time contract, as she liked to call it, and stirred in her utmost dedication towards the cafe.

"Can't sleep?" she murmured, yawning.

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess. Gramps is out cold."

"Of course he is." she chuckled as she wiped clean a glass. Her eyes motioned over to the stools in front of the bar, gesturing for me to take a seat.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

I wasn't sure what to really say. "I..don't know. Things are complicated."

She cocked an eyebrow, "Are you involved personally?"

I shook my head, "No. It's just a friend."

"Ahh." she nodded, "Friends. Yes, they are quite a handful to manage sometimes."

I laughed, "No! It's not anything..too bad. And it's not fighting, by the way."

"Then what is it?"

I frowned, slumping my chin on my palms, "A friend had been through some..crap times. Extremely crap times. And I don't know what to really think of it, honestly. It's bad, I feel sad and terrible for her but…"

I lost my words. I didn't know anymore.

Sis smiled, "Those kinds of friends, yes. Well, there are things we can never control. I feel like that all the time, Lis. When Elfman and I tried our hardest out there, there were times when..things seem to fall apart so easily no matter how strong you're trying to be."

I let her continue.

"You may be the most strongest thing out there, but there's always an effective weapon somewhere, waiting to drag you down. That's just the kind of world we live in. There's nothing that won't ever taint itself with some kind of conflict."

"But we should never treat that as something necessarily evil. Conflict and sadness and heartbreak are all stepping stones towards something new. Something better. There is always something over the troubles that you face. You fight for new things; for better things. That's how we got ourselves where we are now. But your friend..well, it can all depend."

"Trust me, everyone wants to run away. Some people can face it when it faces you. Some people can tear themselves apart. If your friend chose the first option, it's certainly a relief. But that's only for a short amount of time, I think. There are things that we have to hurdle. Things we don't want to face. It always hurts, but new things come after that. If your friend can't hurdle over that…"

She looked down and sighed, "There are things we can never change, Lis. And worst of all, there are things that we can never do anything about. It all comes to trust. I suppose you can trust whoever we're talking about; but that means taking a wager on whether or not they can stand on their own. You'll be there for them, I know you will, you're just the kind of person. But when the times comes when they have to face what haunts them the most—whether or not they were forced or wanted to face it—you can't stand beside them."

"There are battles that just aren't ours. battles that will never be ours to fight. Things that only the person involves has to fight through without you. Trust me, you're going to be with them afterwards, but when it comes to it, what they do is what matters most. You can't do anything but support them if they truly are your friend. But when it comes down to it, you have to let others test their own strength."

She finally finished and I felt like I couldn't quite find enough air.

"She's trying to be strong." I murmured, although I didn't quite know why the words fell from my mouth.

"Yeah, she is." Sis nodded.

I sighed, "I'm so tired. I feel like crap. I have no idea why and how and what exactly is going on in my head anymore."

I always felt the need to be truthful when it came to Sis.

She smiled, "It's because you can't do anything for your friend. Well, not now anyway. It hurts others when someone they care about is deeply hurt, you know."

I silenced but after a quick pause, eventually found my voice.

"Is that what happened for you and Mest?"

I feel the weight of the question burning through my chest. Was this even something to pull myself into? The answer was heading towards a passionate no, but there was something to Mira and Mest that had never been broken. Their silence was always there; nothing to break, nothing to intervene. Maybe I shouldn't have done the deed after all.

Mira smiled at me the same way she always did.

But she never answered the question that night and I eventually rose up to head back upstairs after a hasty 'goodnight'.

* * *

 **A fews hours earlier.**

 **17th, September, 2010**

"You're heading to Magnolia? Seriously?"

"Gray, I've repeated the same thing for the last 2 minutes." I chuckled through the phone.

"Yeah, yeah." I heard his sigh, "It's just..hard to process and shit. And you never told me!"

I laughed fully, "Sorry! I was planning to make it a surprise. And..I sorta thought you were aiming for them as well?"

"What makes you think that all of sudden?"

I snorted, "Richardson sports captain? Great runner? Secretly great swimmer even though you want to hide the fact that you are? You're Magnolia Track and Field material, Gray."

"I was only throwing out ideas!"

"You sounded like you were aiming to me. You sounded like you were aiming for Magnolia to everyone."

"I don't know..I have been getting a bunch of crap from this friend of mine to go. Seriously, everyone is bugging me about it."

"That's because you're going to pass if you go."

"You should see some bastards here in Richardson. These guys are idiots, but they're geniuses at the same time."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it doesn't, this is Richardson we're talking about."

"And what has your friend done?"

He groaned, "Bastard has told everyone that I will be going, and I have to go around telling people that it's not a definite thing."

I laughed and he carried on, "And he keeps bugging me about how I'm going to get my ass kicked in the tests. Which doesn't even make any sense considering he's the one telling me to go so badly."

"Oh, really? Who can beat you nowadays?"

"I don't know. Some person, chick or dude I don't know, but according to the bastard, they've been training hardcore. This is not the most encouraging thing to hear by the way."

"Hey, it's motivation."

"I think the bastard wants me to go just so I can get beaten by this person. Goddamnit, that has no fucking logic!"

"Jeez, jeez." I laughed, "I don't think you're going to get bea.."

Suddenly my head spun to Juvia. Would she be able to beat Gray in a race? I didn't know. They could both get into a tie. They didn't know each other, but I swore to the Lord that they were just going to get involved with each other somehow.

I chuckled, "I don't know actually. There might be a few impressive individuals."

"That's not the most encouraging thing to hear."

"But nonetheless, you're still impressive, Gray. So you should go for it."

"God I don't know. I'm full of 'I don't know'."

I snickered, "Tell you what; when I decided to aim for Magnolia, I made three best friends of mine promise me that they'd go for it as well as long as I worked my hardest myself. How about we do that?"

"Are you serious? You made them aim for the top school of the whole of Koharu just like that?"

"Effective, aren't I?" I smirked, "I'm still working myself off, so how about you do for my sake?"

"That sounds a little selfish."

"Exactly."

He laughed then paused, "..Well, I guess."

My eyes widened. I wasn't exactly expecting Gray to accept so quickly, but that only made things easier from there.

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "Oh my God, this is actually so good!"

The excitement bubbled, rising rapidly. So Gray was officially aiming for Magnolia now.

"I need to call my friends about this."

"Wait, what?"

"My excitement will never be locked, Gray. I have to pour it out on someone."

He laughed, "Right, go ahead, do your thing, whatever it is."

He hung up and I skimmed through my contacts, eventually deciding on Juvia.

It was only a few hours earlier, but nevertheless, I hadn't known what was to be revealed.

* * *

 **20th, September, 2010**

My head ached.

There was too much papers lying in my bedroom and even if I knew which one was which, the mess was nothing pleasant to the eyes. Not only that, but I had gone through stacks of homework all whilst still having so many thoughts devouring my mind. Erza, Erza, Erza. She was like a string tugging through my mind, leading everything to her. Maths equations, literacy questions, history timelines, everything. What was going through her head? What was she feeling now? How did she feel about arriving in hesitant footsteps towards Koharu? Did she even want to be here? Why did she choose Koharu out of all places?

I wanted to think of Erza as a strong, independent girl. I really did; partly because she was my friend and partly because she was what I wanted to imagine her. She was independent in how she pulled herself together to crawl her way to Koharu. She was strong for how she moved a step forward and not backwards, learning how to laugh and smile and make jokes. She learned these things by tiny steps; tiny but meaningful. They meant everything for Juvia, Lucy and I. I think it was a mutual thing between all of us to be happy for Erza and how she could become one with us three. I think we wanted her to smile. I think this is exactly why we began to approach her. There are things that can't be left alone anymore. Erza was one of those things.

It wasn't because she couldn't stand on her own; no, Erza seemed fully capable of doing that. But because there are people who don't deserve the pain of loneliness. And loneliness is a pain that can be healed. If it can be healed, do what you can do. Because there are things you're going to regret in the future; things that you could do but didn't. That's what Sis had told me that one night in the dark. That was truly a moment for me back then; it was the first time Mira's voice sounded so empty. Genuine and reassuring but tired and exhausted and tainted with so much regret. She immediately changed the topic, but I will never forget her tone and the words that fell from her lips.

I wanted almost painfully to think of Erza as someone free.

But when my mind eventually flew back to the redhead, I could only imagine and think of chains and restrictions. What was she? She was a beautiful girl with red hair. The most beautiful hair, might I add. But that wasn't who she was. She was a warrior, she was a fighter, but she was chained. Badly bruised with screams that are forced to be mere whispers. She was brave but she would never unlock these. She thinks it's her. She thinks the metal and the pain and the scars are all part of her, engraved and etched and forever part of her whole being. Erza was the most strongest warrior there was.

But she only ever battled herself.

* * *

 **Goddamnit. I'm so so so so so sorry for not updating for a week. I needed to do a bunch of work and I was so busy doing a ton of art work for Tumblr. I just..was busy. I can't explain anymore. You have permission to scold.**

 **Things will be picking up very soon, don't worry. I have a lot of stuff planned for Coffee Cakes, don't forget about it.**

 **One more thing guys! As I previously mentioned, if you want to chat and all, you can chat with me on Tumblr. My username is 'illustraice'.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Oneself; (pronoun) used to emphasize that one does something individually or unaided._


	41. Dominos

**Central Koharu**

 **18th, September, 2010**

The sunset this morning was seriously too good. Red with oranges and all that sparkly good crap. I'm not one for photography, but I even took a photo just to emphasise the fact that was just that nice of a sunset. This kind of news was not really the type to be given to Gajeel, the bastard, but nonetheless, I couldn't help at least mentioning it.

"You've been going on about that damn sunset for a while, Ice Princess." he laughed. We were strolling through the city centre. I was dropping the damn bastard off the library.

He tries to convince anyone that it's because he needs to look for more mechanical books or whatever; anyone can tell it's because of the junior librarian, Levy. He really does try though, so I sorta give him props.

"At least I don't go on nonstop about Levy The Librarian." I shot back.

He almost hissed, "Fuckin' I do not go on about her!"

"You send her love eyes."

"You wanna go?" he threatened with a glare. I'm grateful I'm used to him; anyone would've ran their asses off.

"No, not really. It's a good peaceful morning. Good peaceful mornings don't happen to often, ya know?"

He snorted, "Sure, whatever."

We strolled in silence for a while before I finally decide it ought to be revealed now more than later.

"So, I guess I'm aiming." I blurted out.

He shot me a look, "To Magnolia?"

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess."

He laughed heartily, "Oh, fuckin' finally!"

"Jeez, you sound like you've been dying to get me to aim."

"Not quite." he chuckled, "I'm dying for you to meet the person who's going to put you in your place."

"Ah, yes, prestigious amazing runner."

"Fuckin' probably even more than that, but yes, they are going kick your ass."

"So enthusiastic for the tests." I whipped dryly.

"Aren't ya, now?"

"You're just happy that Levy is set for Magnolia as well."

"Whatever you say."

I smirked as we finally set ourselves back to silence. He hadn't even denied it; he was seriously into that girl. How he was going to get her, I didn't know. But this was Gajeel; he had his ways.

A few people stroll pass us and as they do, a whiff of straight black hair caught my eyes. I whipped my head around.

"What?" Gajeel asked.

I didn't move for a second. I swear, there was something to that person..

I shook my head, slowly turning my head back to the direction of the library.

"Nothing." I murmured, "No, nothing at all."

* * *

 **West Wing**

 **18th, September, 2010**

"Sting, will you pass me the test requirements?" Yuki muttered. There was only the faint sound of pencil hitting paper and Rogue's hands skimming through the keyboard of his laptop in the quiet room.

"God," I sighed, "This place is unbelievable."

I passed the paper to her.

"Magnolia Academy." Yuki murmured, "So this place really is too prestigious for it's own good."

"Nothing says prestigious than the requirement of 80% or higher on all general academics subjects." Rogue nodded as he typed away.

"But this is for the homeland!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Sabertooth." Rogue murmured, "I wonder how everything is going back home."

"Probably as it always is." Yuki sighed.

Rogue suddenly narrowed his eyes at his laptop, "Yuki..did you leave a note in my laptop?"

She whipped her head around, "I did?"

"It's just been hidden because I had a ton of stuff up." Rogue nodded.

"What does it say?" I prompted.

"Uh..18th of September Kagura?"

Yuki's eyes slowly widened and eventually she leapt out of her chair, snatching her phone from her back pocket at an alarming speed.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." she chanted.

I only laughed whilst Rogue landed his face to his palms.

* * *

 **North Wing**

 **18th, September, 2010**

"Thank you for your purchase!" the lady called out.

I smiled and waved back. I would never be this friendly with any other shop, but bakeries give me that kind of aura to be a little bit nicer somehow. It's a curse, I swear.

I adore the North Wing; this place was my kind of thing. The bakery side of town with more landscape than all the other Wings and skies that demanded appreciation. The bakery I had bought from was even one of the best around town; Anya's Bakery Delight. They have the best bread rolls; I was going to be a judge from the likes of the pack I had just brought.

As the plastic bag dangled from my hand, my phone beeped from my back pocket.

"Yuki?" I answered, pulling the device to my ear as I crossed the empty road.

"Minerva! I'm so sorry for the late notice, but can you do me a favour?"

I sighed, "If it's picking up food for Sting again, I swear.."

She chuckled as I heard the blonde-haired boy's defending protests, "No, not this time."

"Go on then. I have a bit of free time anyway."

"Could you pick up a friend of mine at Central? She's just arrived from a nearby town and I'm such an idiot. I swear I thought it was the 20th she'd arrived and-"

I laughed, cutting her off, "Okay, okay, I got it. It's just Central, right? And you guys are at the West Wing library?"

"Yes. Thank you. God, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."

"I'm good, don't worry. Give me the details."

Yuki paused before filling in, "Okay, she'd be at Central North Wing Statio-"

"Wait, I'm at the North right now. Would she have stopped for the North Wing?"

A short pause, "Uh..no..I don't think so. Sorry."

"It's okay. How do I spot her?"

Yuki suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry, she's not hard to miss. Long black hair. Probably wearing something strict somehow. White bow. You'll just..know."

I didn't quite get it but went along anyway, "I'll be off then."

Truthfully, I was a little sad about having to leave the North so soon. But Central was lively nonetheless; it wouldn't deliver unpleasant experiences. Yuki said a final thank you and hung up as I strolled through the street, taking in the views. It's still a little early, but the sun was out and Koharu bowed down to how the sun went along.

Beyond a few shops and bushes, I suddenly spotted a figure..sprinting. At an alarming rate and in a speed that made them seem like they were gliding through air. Strangely, my eyes detected a certain patch of blue in the distance. But I was far more entranced by the figure's speed. How long had they ran? Who even ran out here in the country? Well, out of town, at best. What destination? What certain direction?

I didn't quite breath air as I watched on, my pace slowing.

They must've been aiming for something big. I could only imagine. For some reason, I couldn't quite settle on the thought that they were doing this for some major exercise. If that were the case, they would've ran at Central. No, this was something else. This was on a different level. A test of speed and stamina. I liked it. Determination like that made my blood pump.

Determination. The thought suddenly placed itself on the centre stage inside my head. What was I aiming for? I fell back into a faster pace as my head rummaged through thoughts. Aiming for what? Helena Fay Miiddle School gave me tests and subjects and more tests. What did I aim for? Just like what that person was sprinting to their heart's content for?

I had planned to go to whatever highschool I could get accepted into. Not that it was some kind of losing battle; I had fair grades. But even then, I didn't need more tests. I wanted to do something I desired to do.

My eyes landed on the fiery sunrise and I smiled. Maybe I might be quite chaotic myself, but there were moment of appreciation that I adored. I didn't think I would really have to reveal that to anyone. Sunrises like that didn't happen very often. Sunrises like that made you want to reach out for it.

What was I reaching out for? I wanted to know for myself. And so the thought came through a text sent to my white-haired friend that day.

 _What was that Academy you guys were studying for again? - Minerva_

* * *

 **Central**

 **18th, September, 2010**

Koharu.

The skies were pretty here. That was one conclusion from many others.

Akane doesn't quite compare either. The train there to Koharu's Central had been pleasant. But not for the train's services, but for the views that were offered in the entirety of the trip. I trudged my suitcase behind me.

There's a certain air to the area. Very pleasant, quite welcoming. And for some reason, there were many up and running though it was quite early in the morning. I didn't find that at all bad. It was nice to put time at good use. I suddenly wondered if Akane had actually been like that and I had never actually noticed at all due to my constant..work.

As for the morning; it had been the best view the whole train ride. The most loveliest of skies. I couldn't bear to describe it; it was almost untouchable—unfathomable in a way. I wondered if the people had actually gotten up in the early morning just for the very sunrise.

But it was a little heartbreaking in some way. A scarlet sunrise. Most beautiful. But also the very hair colour possessed by who had been my brother's companion that night.

But it was time for a new type of change. I wanted Koharu to be that way. I wondered if Simon would ever leave my mind and thoughts and entire being in general. It was like he would be forever etched through my skin. It burned my chest to even think a little of him. But there were things to look for now; things I wanted to learn—but more than ever; explore. Things I could aim for and things I could find. There had been an Academy of some sort that everyone at Akane would gush on almost endlessly about. Who said anything against me if I aimed for even some kind of international prestigious school? It was all a little overwhelming and yet, I didn't find myself too lost. I ought to aim for the best I could find, after all.

And so I took a step forward.

* * *

 **Changi Airport, Singapore**

 **18th September, 2010**

"I'm going to depart soon, yes." I muttered through the phone.

What time was it even? It was too dark for this kind of thing. And yet, I somehow landed myself in a taxi to board a plane to God-knows-where. I suddenly had the feeling that this was becoming a trend for me; not knowing where the hell I was going and even more, where the hell I was in general.

"Wait, wait." I barked, "Where am I going again?"

"You're to board a plane to London, Mr Dragneel."

London? Wasn't I to board a plane to Sydney or something?

I gave up anyway, "..Uh, I guess that's cool too."

"We'll see you in a bit, Mr. Dragneel."

"Yeah." I lazily replied then hung up.

I didn't even know how I got up, let alone get myself in a taxi but it happened anyway. I feared my body was becoming somehow automatic. With the automatic movements to get a suitcase ready in some ungodly hour. Was this seriously going to go on forever? I mentally groaned at the thought.

The taxi eventually arrived and I hastily pulled out my suitcase, handing the money to the driver and begrudgingly dragging myself to the front entrance. God, the place was packed. The eventual feeling of suddenly having to leave another country struck me once again. Singapore had been very pleasant as well; clean and friendly. I ran a hand through my face as if it'd relief of stress or tiredness or whatever I was feeling.

My phone suddenly vibrated from my hand. My tired eyes fell on the screen.

 _Where the hell are you now, flame ass? - Gray_

I snorted. Ice Princess always texted at the most random of times.

 _Singapore._

A reply was delivered a minute later.

 _You on a plane somewhere i'm guessing? - Gray_

 _Shut up._

 _Just because you can't settle flame ass - Gray_

I cocked an eyebrow for a second before realising for the billionth time that he didn't know. I wondered if I have ever really revealed it to anyone. I was too tired to really think about the consequences of anyone knowing. Not that I had actually tried.

 _Right right how's that place of yours?_

 _We had a real gud sun today -_ _Gray_

 _Great_

 _Jealous? - Gray_

I glared at the words in the screen before actually taking a thought. Was I? I had seen many sunrises and sunsets. And they are quite the view from plane windows. But I had never really appreciated them for the area they were in. There are good sunrises in Russia and even Poland. The US offered a good range. I shook the thoughts away.

 _Nah._

 _Are you sure? - Gray_

 _shut up now ice princess._

In some kind of attempt of his, the next reply consists of a photo engulfed in red and oranges. A bright sunrise, the fiery kind. The only thing beyond it being what I assumed was a park. Impressive. Extremely impressive.

"Fuckin' showoff." I muttered under my breath as I waited in line.

Koharu or whatever that place Gray lived in. I didn't know. There was never a final destination for me. I had thought there would be someday but that was naive. The only thing that really happened now was flights and plane tickets and endless destinations. There are people that would kill for it. I would kill to have more sleep however.

And then there as Gray in his town. Nothing compared to places my eyes have landed on and air of destinations I have breathed in. And yet there really was something to having a place to know you truly were in. Somewhere you knew was a place to get back to. I didn't know. Those kind of thoughts had flown through my head at the time. I blamed my lack of sleep.

I waited in line. This was it; waiting in lines and tickets and plane classes and roads that I've never met and am going to greet. Yeah, that was always going to be it.

Maybe a child would've been losing their mind over stepping in a completely new country, a new world. But I found myself staring at that photo of a warm sunrise.

And I swore to God or whoever it was up there—Buddha even—that I'd take footsteps in that Koharu to meet whatever that greeted me.

Maybe it'd take days, maybe it'd take months. Maybe it'd take years. You know what?

So be it.

* * *

 **Finally the last chapter. Didn't want to spoil you guys but basically we're getting back to the present next chap so look out for that.**

 **I love you all and thank you so much for reading!**

 **Till then,**

 **Ice**

 _Dominos; (noun)_ any of 28 small oblong pieces marked with 0–6 pips in each half.

'Everyone will fall over like a row of dominoes.'


End file.
